Warren Weinstein Family Blasts U.S. Government Over Al Qaeda Hostage Crisis
President Obama personally took responsibility Thursday for the death of
an American and an Italian hostage killed in a U.S. counter-terrorism
operation in January, but his words appear to be little comfort to the
family of the American, who said the U.S. government as a whole has been
"inconsistent and disappointing" for years in their time of need.
“I want to thank Congressman John Delaney, Senator Barbara Mikulski, and
Senator Ben Cardin -- as well as specific officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation -- for their relentless efforts to free my husband,” Elaine Weinstein, wife to slain hostage Warren Weinstein,
said in a statement shortly after the White House's grim announcement.
“Unfortunately, the assistance we received from other elements of the
U.S. Government was inconsistent and disappointing over the course of
three and a half years. We hope that my husband’s death and the others
who have faced similar tragedies in recent months will finally prompt
the U.S. Government to take its responsibilities seriously and establish
a coordinated and consistent approach to supporting hostages and their
families.”
Elaine Weinstein also blasted the Pakistani government and military, for
whom she said her husband's safe return "should have been a priority
for them based on his contributions to their country."
"[B]ut they failed to take action earlier in his captivity when
opportunity presented itself, instead treating Warren’s captivity as
more of an annoyance than a priority. I hope the nature of our future
relationship with Pakistan is reflective of how they prioritize situations such as these," she wrote.
Today the Pakistani government said it can "fully understand this tragic
loss," having lost "thousands of innocent civilians in the war against
terrorism."
The White House recently ordered a full review of how the U.S. deals
with hostage situations, in the wake of the deaths of several Americans
either in the clutches of al Qaeda
or at the hands of the al Qaeda offshoot ISIS. U.S. officials told ABC
News significant changes will be recommended in the coming weeks.
Weinstein was killed along with Italian aid worker Giovanni Lo Porto in a
CIA drone strike in mid-January in Pakistan's tribal area, a U.S.
official told ABC News Thursday.
"I want to express our grief and condolences for the families of two
hostages," Obama said Thursday from the White House briefing room,
noting that at the time, the U.S. believed no civilians were present at
the site.
"Since 9/11, our counter-terrorism efforts have prevented terrorism
attacks and saved innocent lives, both here in America and around the
world, and that determination to protect innocent life only makes the
loss of these two men especially painful for all of us," he added. "It
is a cruel and bitter truth that in the fog of war generally and our
fight against terrorists specifically, mistakes, sometimes deadly
mistakes, can occur. But one of the things that sets America apart from
many other nations, one of the things that makes us exceptional is our
willingness to confront squarely our imperfections and to learn from our
mistakes."
That strike and another just days later also took out two American members of al Qaeda, Ahmed Farouq and Adam Gadahn. Neither, officials said, were the intended targets of the strike.
Prior to Thursday's announcement, the U.S. government had acknowledged
killing four Americans in drone strikes since 2009 -- only one of whom,
al Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, was an intended target.
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