US troops entered Syria to find James Foley
8/21/2014
Obama authorized a secret mission to free journalist and other Americans but they were not found, officials say.
Last updated: 21 Aug 2014 12:58
The US sent troops into Syria this summer on a secret mission to rescue Americans, including journalist James Foley, held by the Islamic State group.
Officials said the rescue mission was authorised after intelligence agencies believed they had identified the location inside Syria where the hostages were being held.
"This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL," a US defence department statement said, referencing the former name of the Islamic State."Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location."
A number of the IS fighters, but no Americans, were killed as a battle broke out, officials said. The US did not say specifically when or where the operation took place.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/08/us-failed-attempt-save-beheaded-foley-201482022506818375.html
