US military raid frees American, Dane held hostage in Somalia. US military forces sent helicopters into Somalia in a nighttime raid Tuesday and freed two hostages, an American and a Dane, while killing nine kidnappers, US officials confirm. American Jessica Buchanan, 32, and Dane Poul Hagan Thisted, 60, had been working with a de-mining unit of the Danish Refugee Council when they were kidnapped in October. The raid was conducted by a joint team overseen by Africa Command involving Special Operations forces, including Navy SEAL Team Six, the same unit -- though not the exact same individuals -- that killed Al Qaeda leader Usama bin Laden in May, a senior US military source told Fox News. Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters on Wednesday that the major reason to conduct the operation was due to Buchanan's health. The Ohio native had a potentially life-threatening, pre-existing medical condition. President Obama authorized the operation on Monday and military commanders finalized the raid on Tuesday. A US official told Fox News that the rescue team dropped into the area from parachutes off fixed-wing aircraft and from their drop point ran to the encampment. The official said the captors were killed and the hostages secured everyone and left via helicopter. The captors were heavily armed and had explosives on them, Little said. There were no known survivors among the kidnappers. No Americans were injured during the raid, he said. The operation and rescue, which <b>...</b>
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