According to a bombshell report, Donald Trump green-lit a plan to send the US Navy SEALs to North Korea, but the mission went wrong and ended in the deaths of civilians
Donald Trump sent the commandos who brought down Osama Bin Laden on a secret mission to spy on North Korea, it has been claimed.
The US President reportedly green-lit a plan to plant a listening device during nuclear talks six years ago. The ill-fated plot to get the inside track on Kim Jong-un went wrong as the operation unravelled when the soldiers killed civilians instead, according to the New York Times.
The publication state the SEALs spent months gearing up, having been warned any slight mistake could prove to be “catastrophic”. During the mission’s planning, they chose a remote location, thinking it was an uninhabited area that would allow them to move in totally undetected. Officials had spent months pinpointing the ideal time to strike when the quiet region.
The operation’s goal was simple, the report states, with eight SEALs diving towards the target, installing a listening device, and then vanishing back into the sea without leaving a trace.
However, as the team set foot on the land, dressed in black wetsuits, night-vision goggles, and armed with untraceable weapons and ammunition, they are said to have discovered discovered something was wrong.
A North Korean boat, which had not been accounted for, emerged from the darkness. Flashlights beamed from its bow, sweeping across the water. Voices were heard from the boat, followed by the sound of a splash as one of the crew members disturbed the water.
The SEALs reportedly made a snap decision – fearing they had been spotted – and opened fire. Within seconds, all three individuals on the boat were dead. Believing their cover had been blown, the SEALs are said to have quickly retreated into the ocean.
According to the New York Times, the men killed were civilians and the listening device was never planted. Details of the failed mission were reported based on interviews with dozens of people.
“These missions often remain shielded by secrecy laws, leaving most Americans with no way to know about major actions that influence national security and may have an impact on their lives,” New York Times assistant managing editor Patrick Healy said.
“Officials said they were discussing classified details because the mission highlights a problem that plagues Special Operations. That problem is that these missions require extreme care and precision but are exceptionally vulnerable to failure. Some are big successes; others go wrong. There is often little public accountability.”
The Mirror has contacted the White House and the US Navy for comment. Trump today claimed he knew nothing of the mission.