WASHINGTON — A botched Pentagon raid in central Yemen got worse Friday when the military released what it claimed was sensitive intelligence seized during the assault — only to discover that the video had been posted online in 2007.
The Pentagon released five video clips that showed jihadists building a bomb, a sample of the material the officials said U. S. Navy SEALs had collected last Sunday during a shootout at a compound used by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
An hour after the release, however, the Pentagon pulled the video back after acknowledging it had been posted online a decade ago.
The embarrassing episode compounded growing questions about the assault, which left one American dead and six injured, as well as what the Pentagon has said were likely civilian casualties, including numerous women and children.
The raid brought about the first confirmed American death in combat under President Donald Trump.
The White House argued this week that the raid was a success because the U. S. recovered valuable intelligence about terrorist operations. The Pentagon release Friday apparently was intended to bolster that claim.
U. S. Central Command, which is responsible for U. S. military operations in the Middle East, issued the five clips in a single video that lasted less than two minutes. Officials said the five videos were recovered from computers seized during the raid.
The footage depicted a figure, wearing a white lab coat and a black ski mask, pouring material into a glass beaker. Speaking in Arabic, he instructed viewers to build a bomb and attack the West.
“The videos are one example of the volumes of sensitive al-Qaida terror-planning information recovered during the operation,” Col. John J. Thomas, the Central Command spokesman, said in a statement.
Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form
Send questions/comments to the editors.
