A US service member died of injuries suffered during a weekend raid against al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, the military said on Sunday – President Donald Trump's first direct military engagement as Commander in Chief.
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Three other American troops were wounded in the operation on Saturday against members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
The raid, authorised by Mr Trump, was aimed at gathering intelligence about the militant group, according to a US military official.
It is believed the slain service member was killed in a firefight with militants.
The operation, which took place in a remote desert area of Yemen's Shabwa governorate, aimed to obtain intelligence information, including computer material, that was believed to be linked to planning for external attacks.
US officials said they could not confirm reports of a high civilian death toll, but said that 14 militants were killed in the operation.
According to a report from the SITE Intelligence Group, AQAP reported in a message on Telegram that US forces launched a helicopter attack and a ground raid on a Yemeni village, killing dozens of civilians.
AQAP denied that any militants were killed and said the young daughter of Anwar al-Awlaki, a US citizen who was killed in a 2011 drone strike, was one of the civilians killed.
The militant group reported that the operation took place in al-Bayda governorate, which borders Shabwa, SITE said. The group also reported it had shot down an American attack helicopter.
US officials said that an Osprey, a tilt-rotor military aircraft, went down in a "crash landing" at a staging area near the site of the operation, but said the mishap was not believed to be caused by militant fire. The disabled Osprey was then intentionally destroyed. Two service members were injured in that landing.
US Special Operations forces have maintained a small footprint in Yemen focused on AQAP, which has been one of the most active branches of al-Qaeda and has been involved in plots to strike the West. The American forces work in close partnership with special operations troops from the United Arab Emirates.
Yemen is one of seven Muslim-majority countries targeted by a Trump executive order than bans some nationalities from visiting the United States. The other countries affected are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Syria.
White House press spokesman Sean Spicer on Sunday cited the risks faced by the US military in fighting terrorists abroad as an added justification for Mr Trump's so-called 'Muslim ban'.
The Washington Post
