The USA government could have avoided the James Foley beaheading but President Barack Obama waited almost one month to give the green light to a mission dedicated for the rescue of the captured American journalist.
This is what sources from Pentagon have revealed, accusing Obama of stalling the operation to raid the ISIS terrorist in Iraq and Syria. This report was first seen on the Sunday Times and provides a detailed account of how the president spent his time from June/July while ISIS gives warning that they'll push for the James Foley beheading.
“Pentagon sources said Foley and the others might well have been rescued but Obama, concerned about the ramifications of US troops being killed or captured in Syria, took too long to authorize the mission,” the report said.
It also added that Obama spent a large chunk of his time playing golf instead of prioritizing bigger matters.
However, it also seems worth noting that the eventual timing of the mission may have made for a nice July 4th weekend announcement for Obama had the mission succeeded. Instead, Obama played golf on July 5th, as well as an additional six times in the month he is said to have spent agonizing over his decision, the delay of which may have cost journalist Foley his life.
Anthony Shaffer, a former lieutenant-colonel in US military intelligence who worked on covert operations, said: “I’m told it was almost a 30-day delay from when they said they wanted to go to when he finally gave the green light. They were ready to go in June to grab the guy [Foley] and they weren’t permitted.”
The failure to stop the James Foley beheading has put the already highly critized Obama administration in another bad light. So far, UK authorities have claimed that they are now close to identifying the person who performed the James Foley beheading. There were also reports that an ex London rapper is the person they are looking for.
