The Islamist militant group al-Shabaab said on Monday that a second commando has died from his wounds following a failed French rescue mission in Somalia intended to free an intelligence officer held hostage since 2009.
“The second commando died from his bullet wounds,” a spokesman for the group told Reuters. “We shall display the bodies of the two Frenchmen.”
Contradicting the French government, al-Shabaab still maintains the intelligence officer, Denis Allex, is alive.
President Obama revealed on Sunday that U.S. forces aided the French raid in a limited capacity. U.S. combat aircraft briefly entered Somali airspace but they did not fire, Obama added.