US Navy SEALs killed North Korean civilians during botched mission: Report
Al Jazeera
US special forces killed several North Korean fishermen diving for shellfish after encountering them by accident.
United States Navy SEALs shot and killed several North Korean civilians during a botched mission in 2019 to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed country, reportedly approved by US President Donald Trump, a leading US news outlet reports.
The New York Times reported on Friday that the classified mission was carried out by the US Navy’s SEAL Team 6 during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang in early 2019.
The elite special forces unit – the same one that killed former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011 – was tasked with covertly going ashore in North Korea and planting a listening device to spy on the country’s leadership.
But working in the dead of night with blackout communications, a series of errors led to civilians – several North Koreans reportedly diving for shellfish – inadvertently coming across the US special forces as they splashed ashore.
The SEALs opened fire, killing all those on board a small fishing vessel, the Times report said, without specifying the number of casualties.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasised that regional instability ‘benefits no one’ during the call.
Trump set to attempt to pivot Republican messaging as he shows signs of softening on deadly Minnesota operation.
Shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good are two of at least nine deaths related to immigration enforcement in US.
Many Syrians feel liberated by the army pushing out the Kurdish-led SDF. But others fear government troops.
USS Abraham Lincoln carrier’s arrival is ‘not going to affect Iran’s determination to defend the nation’, Tehran warns.
US President Donald Trump refers to a ‘sonic weapon’ he describes as a ‘discombobulator’, but what is he talking about?
The so-called yellow line has been squeezing Palestinians into smaller areas, making their lives more difficult.
The Israeli military says it launched a ‘targeted operation’ in northern Gaza to find the last captive’s body.
Netanyahu’s office says Rafah crossing will reopen in a ‘limited’ manner after search for Israeli soldier’s body ends.
From Texas to New England, the monster storm brings hazardous conditions, prompting warnings to stay off roads.
Trump says US ‘armada’ is heading towards the Gulf, raising fears of a military escalation in the region.
Gaza faces public health crisis amid Israel’s war, with waste, sewage and poor sanitation leading to disease outbreaks.
Extension offers a respite as Syrian forces advance towards the last SDF strongholds in northeast of the country.