President Barack Obama told Congress over the weekend that U.S. warplanes provided support to France’s failed rescue mission in Somalia.

Last Friday, French commandoes tried to rescue a government spy (cover name Denis Allex) held captive for more than three years. The mission went badly, with the spy being killed, along with eight Somali civilians. One of the commandoes was either killed or missing, according to varying news accounts.

In a letter to Congress, Obama said American fighter planes “provided limited technical support” to French forces, but did not open fire while briefly entering Somali airspace.

The planes flew out of Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, which has grown into a key installation for secret counterterrorism operations in Somalia and Yemen.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Obama Says U.S. Warplanes Involved In Somali Rescue Mission (by Craig Whitlock, Washington Post)

France Defends Failed Somali Raid As Toll Mounts (Agence France-Presse)

France Fails To Free Intelligence Agent Held In Somalia; Paris Sends More Troops To Mali (by Edward Cody, Washington Post)

Foreign Hostages in Somalia (Wikipedia)