The Linda Norgrove Rescue Tragedy
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Published: 11 October 2010
Ms. Linda Norgrove was kidnapped on 26 September during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan. A trusted and knowledgeable source told me he expected there was a high likelihood she would be killed by these particularly brutal people. Several days ago, during a rescue attempt led by U.S. forces, Ms. Norgrove was killed. There is some speculation surrounding the circumstances of her death.
Today, I emailed the office of General Petraeus regarding the tragedy surrounding Ms. Norgrove. After two wars, General Petraeus is one of the sources I greatly trust. I did not speak to him directly about this. The general's staff responded immediately with emails and a phone call. I asked Major Sunset Belinsky in Afghanistan to email an account of the situation.
This email came immediately from Major Sunset Belinsky:
--BEGIN email --
"Additional information developed by the military commander in charge of the rescue operation prompted Gen. Petraeus to call for an immediate investigation. Review of the surveillance footage and discussions with rescue team members did not conclusively determine the cause of Linda Norgrove's death. The initial report was that the captor set off some sort of explosive device which killed Ms. Norgrove. The review showed what was believed to be a member of the rescue team throwing a hand grenade in the area near where Ms. Norgrove was later found. It's now unclear what the exact circumstances surrounding her death are, and the investigation will attempt to determine the facts."
---END email --
The men who perform these very dangerous missions are the best we have. As we mourn the loss of Ms. Norgrove, please remember who these men are: men who would give their own lives to save hers. It serves nobody well to point fingers at men who just risked their lives in a very dangerous operation. When a patient goes under the scalpel during a surgery in a safe hospital under the most controlled circumstances, there is always a chance that things will go wrong. Yet during these military operations, the “doctors” often die with the “patient.” This is dangerous stuff. This is war. Everyone knows the risks.
Rest in peace the courageous Linda Norgrove.
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Comments
I generally have nothing but admiration and praise for your reporting. I too disdain the murder of a journalist, and am old enough to understand that journalists were once objective, non-combatants who followed up a story of either side of the conflict when possible.
Your opening startled me. You wrote: "Ms. Linda Norgrove was kidnapped on 26 September during an ambush in eastern Afghanistan. A trusted and knowledgeable source told me he expected there was a high likelihood she would be killed by these particularly brutal people. "
What I find troubling is your lack of qualification. You state that Ms. Norgrove was kidnapped in eastern Afghanistan, and in your second sentence you relay the report of a source who stated he expected her to be killed.
But your closing clause described her killers as "particularly brutal people".
My problem is that you state she was kidnapped in Eastern Afghanistan, but not by whom. Then you use a broad journalistic brush with which you paint, whom? The people of eastern Afghanistan or her killers?
Your exposition does not make this clear, nor does it clarify whether it was your source or you who chose the epithet.
The Taliban are a particularly brutal people. So was the Hussein regime in Iraq. From the perspective of many in the region, so was the Bush (Jr.) administration. Yet, there are approximately 30 million people in Afghanistan, a further 25 million people lived under the tyranny of Saddam, and America had a population of 300 million people when it invaded Iraq in 2003 on the dubious evidence of WMD presented by the US, which was later proven to be incorrect.
Yet, although the numbers of people killed during this century by these three modern powers is appalling, could we accept the characterizatio n of the Afghan, Iraqi, or American people as a "particularly brutal people"?
Please sir, try to avoid the ambiguity of the opening paragraph found here in future communications -- leave that kind of thing to the major news outlets.
Obviously you haven't been following his work. If he acted like the rest of the media he wouldn't be able to do what he does. Look at his past record of reporting on time and operational sensitive matters and you see lots of vague references that are later (when it won't affect operations) detailed, and you'll find lots of examples.
I trust his reporting far more than the air conditioned talking heads who never put themselves in the field.
I didn't read it that way. I did not read it as "the people of eastern Afghanistan are brutal", but rather as "the people who kidnapped her were known to be particularly brutish" and the eastern Afghanistan as nothing more than a geographic reference pointing out the area of the kidnapping. Of course, I wasn't reading it with the intent of finding some perceived slight in order to justify a bit of anti-American grand standing either.
Especially since, no matter how many times the military is successful at freeing folks (which they usually are), the one time it goes badly, the anti-war/pro-Isamist folks will use a failure for political gain.
It's bad enough we have still have soldiers over there dying for a pre-historic people who don't want what we're trying to sell them. Risking solders' lives and health because some naive dilletante felt like proving something to themselves and their daddy just makes me sick (and yes, I AM trivializing what the deceased was in Afghanistan to do).
Either Petreaus or Gates had better come out finally and say "no more rescues", and let the self-important "humanitarians" assume the full risk of their own folly. I think it's terrible that the Pentagon has indulged these self-righteous idealists for as long as they have.
BTW kwgm, Ms Norgrove was an aid worker, not a journalist. It behooves anyone holding another to account for accuracy to at least get the basics of the situation correct. Even moreso if you would wish your comment not be dismissed as trolling.
Yon posted on Facebook and it was more clear that he was talking about the particular faction that kidnapped Norgrove (although I didn't think this post was as unclear as you seem to). If you really do admire and follow Yon you should know better.
That said, I am sorry this young woman lost her life. If a grenade was thrown by a member of the rescue mission, and if that is what killed her, it is more tragic. Still, soldiers are flesh and blood men, not superheroes.
Perhaps if aid workers had to sign a waiver, relinquishing their expectations of rescue if kidnapped, then these particular tragedies would not happen.
My condolences to her family and friends, and to the soldiers who tried to save her life.
Oh for goodness sakes! Michael Yon is obviously referring to the people who kidnapped her. Jeez.
Because, if anyone has to die, my preferences for death, in order, are:
1. My enemy
2. Myself
3. My rescuers
I would hope my rescuers plan and act accordingly.
I have nothing but admiration for them and am in awe of them. I suspect the outcome was very disheartening for them.
RIP Linda Norgrove
"The men who perform these very dangerous missions are the best we have.... This is dangerous stuff. This is war. Everyone knows the risks."
I've been involved in USAID programs with the university I am affiliated with that have had to face cutbacks in aid to dangerous areas, and I have stated openly to those I am involved with currently that eastern Afghanistan, and the rest of it as well, is no place for unarmed civilians. Until they allow AID workers to arm themselves, or have contractor protection of some sort, they simply cannot operate in a war zone because it is war and bad ugly things happen. The tribe that Norgrove was taken by is well known for its brutality and to try and work in their area is sheer insanity. Yes, the people need help, but the insurgents see to it that they don't want it, and this is how and why. I pray to higher powers every day that Special Forces get their missions done safely, whether they be attacks, medical work, or rescues of naive workers. My husband is one of them. Mike says everyone knows the risks, but AID workers don't truly understand those risks, they typically only see that help is needed. It's a war zone and to put people like my husband in danger to rescue them, well I simply can't go along with that, and I won't agree. The men who do the missions are our very best, I agree and know it to be true. The woman was an innocent and that's why they took her, and I am truly sorry for her death. I am equally glad that no SF lives were taken as well. They are our best, just as Britain has their best.
The conspiracy mongers and the haters will have thier say, and so be it..
But the rest of us know the risks and do not fault anyone but the terrorists.
Ill throw this in, YOU n Sean are off track brother...
NO, the US Mil can not do this kind of work.. you have to go there to get this, Yon gets it..
the mil is there to break things and kill people, NOT BE SOCIAL workers, (yer right there)
when you roll into a village in MRAPS armored up and being a soldier, this can get an entire village killed... up
in the bad lands... as the mil goes back to the FOB.
someone has got to do the civsurgency.
DAI is one of the star groups doing this, and doing it well.....
Its just the roll of dice, linda could run that that road, 35 mins outside JBAD....
99 of 100 times in lo pro mode, and not have an issue..
but on 100.. its 100.... >
My heart felt thanks to the SF guys that made a run at it... and we all wish Linda was safe in JBAD tonite..
I'd wanna know more about the cockbags that snagged her..those that are still alive that is.....
Norgrove came from the back of beyond, in the bare, stormy, and rocky Hebrides, to go help people in bare and rocky Afghanistan. She was probably a tough Islander who had no illusions about her chances. Don't treat her like she was some kind of featherhead who expected Afghanistan to be Happy Land.
And no, soldiers aren't aid workers any more than they are police, firefighters, or ballet dancers. Sometimes they do a bit of that, just as they're expected to be jacks of all trades with computers and roads and who knows what else. But non-government connected charities have to do business during wars, because most of the world is always at war. The Red Cross isn't going to vanish, for example; it was created specifically for wartime charity on the front lines; and its peacetime activities are what's new.
There is no safety in this world; barring the Second Coming arriving first, we all have to die sometime.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it.
Linda-may you find comfort in the arms of God
Ken-say hello to the jbad PX manager for me
It is so sad how people like you have no clue as to what is happening in the real world. Open you eyes and see that this war was a response to the attack and for the deaths of 3500 people murdered in the world trade center bombing. How quickly we forget this event, and how quickly we forget about all the freedoms that we as Americans enjoy due to the lives sacrificed by the men and women who have the guts to fight for those freedoms, so that people like you can make ignorant statements such as this one due to the freedom of speech, remember that one! If it weren't for President Bush Sadaam Hussein would still be in power, and the Iraqi people would still be living in tyranny. Think about that one when you open your mouth next time to say this war wasn't necessary for us or for them...
To those of you opining that the US military should not be attempting rescues of foreign nationals in these circumstances please remember that the British (and other NATO forces) are on hand and more than capable of such tasks. In fact, the UK's SAS and SBS have extraordinary records in hostage scenarios and the SEALs were employed only because the area is under US command. It is quite possible that a US citizen will be rescued by the SAS/SBS in future should the scenario unfold within a British administered province (but let us hope it never comes to this). Please try and remember that Afghanistan is a NATO operation.
What concerns me is that the initial story put forward was incorrect and clearly so. Those on the ground would have known this from a very early stage and yet the incorrect details were handed over to the press.
Have you EVER heard of OPSEC? It's clear you don't follow Mike's work or you'd know he's a former Green Beret and VERY experienced w/ being embedded with combat troops on the front line in harm's way. Mike knows what he's doing and no way will he break OPSEC to please someone like you.
And where do you get off comparing America to Hussein, The Taliban and bin-Laden? Are you crazy?
Mike ignore this clown. Keep doing what you've always done. Your dispatches are great.
Watch your six.
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