Deadly Yemen raid missed its main al Qaeda target

The raid in Yemen that left one SEAL member dead and killed a number of innocent civilians had missed its main target — head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, it was revealed Monday.

The raid was the first military operation ordered by President Trump and his elusive target, Qassim al-Rimi, mocked the new president via audio message, according to NBC News.

“The fool of the White House got slapped at the beginning of his road in your lands,” al-Rimi said in a reference to the Jan. 29 raid.

The White House declared the operation “a success” but US military officials told Reuters that Trump approved the covert counterterrorism operation without sufficient intelligence, ground support, or adequate backup preparations.

The raid, in al Bayda province, resulted in a “brutal firefight” which left US Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens dead, along with 15 Yemeni women and children.

The base had been identified as a target before the Obama administration left office on January 20.

President Obama held off approving a raid ahead of his departure.