Very sad breaking news on this one. The PM has announced that it may be she was actually killed by a rescuers grenade. This will of course trigger a barrage of arm-chair generals second guessing the decision for US Special Forces to go in - it is deeply, deeply sad - but it doesn’t change the following facts:
- At the point at which they thought she may be moved to AQ in Pakistan the tactical decision to go in became a no-brainer.
- The young men involved in the rescue operation were operating at real risk to their own lives - sometimes things go wrong. They remain heroic.
- The responsibility for her death remains with the kidnappers.
As with any operation that goes wrong lessons must be learned - lots of questions will be raised and SOP may be adjusted if necessary. But none of that changes that a choice had to be made, brave men made it - and although it didn’t pan out the way we would have prayed - it was still the right call.