Pentagon releases terror training video it uncovered in fatal Yemen raid as proof of operation's success... but it's quickly revealed to be DECADE-OLD Al-Qaeda footage already online

  • US military on Friday released footage in defense of fatal Yemen raid this week
  • But a radical Islamist media expert said it seemed to have aired 10 years ago
  • Department of Defense pulled it off within hours when questions began to arise
  • Central Command confirmed it was removed because the contents were old
  • The video shows a ski-masked man encouraging people to build bombs

By Reuters and Clemence Michallon For Dailymail.com

Published: 17:51 EST, 3 February 2017 | Updated: 00:58 EST, 4 February 2017

In an awkward reversal, the US military promptly withdrew an old video it had released Friday as evidence that a fatal raid in Yemen this week was a counter-terrorism success.

An expert in radical Islamist media said the footage by unknown Islamist militants appeared to be part of videos first released by jihadists online about 10 years ago, undermining the Pentagon's explanation about its value.

A US Central Command spokesman confirmed that the video was removed from the website because the contents were old.

'We didn't want it to appear that we were trying to pass off an old video as a new video,' spokesman Colonel John Thomas said.

Scroll down for video 

US Navy SEAL William 'Ryan' Owens was killed in a raid on al Qaeda in Yemen over the weekend
Also killed was the 8-year-old daughter of militant Anwar al-Awlaki, Nawar (pictured)

US Navy SEAL William 'Ryan' Owens (left) and the 8-year-old daughter of militant Anwar al-Awlaki, Nawar (right), were both killed in a raid on al Qaeda in Yemen over the weekend

It is the latest controversy surrounding the US special forces raid on a branch of al Qaeda in Yemen, the first such operation authorized by President Donald Trump as commander in chief.

The military said the video was found on Sunday in the operation in al-Bayda province in which a US Navy SEAL, militants and civilians were killed.

A US Central Command spokesman had said on Friday the clip of a ski-masked man encouraging people to build bombs, was 'one example of the volumes of sensitive al-Qa'eda terror-planning information recovered during the operation'.

The Department of Defense posted the video on its web site on Friday but pulled it off within several hours when questions began to arise about its age.

The footage appeared to be similar to that in other videos that surfaced online in 2007.

Donald Trump made an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force base in Delaware Wednesday to pay his respects to Owens with his daughter Ivanka

'The video clip that was posted and abruptly taken down was one of 25 videos that appeared (published) in 2007,' said Adam Raisman, a senior analyst at SITE group which monitors extremists online. The only difference was that the Pentagon video had English subtitles added, he said.

Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the video was still of worth, even if it may have been created earlier.

'It does not matter when the video was made, that they had it is still illustrative of who they are and what their intentions are,' Davis said.

Medics at the scene in al Bayda - south central Yemen - said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed

Medics at the scene in al Bayda - south central Yemen - said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, were killed

A US Central Command spokesman confirmed that the video (pictured) was removed from the website because the contents were old

A US Central Command spokesman confirmed that the video (pictured) was removed from the website because the contents were old

US Navy SEAL William 'Ryan' Owens was killed in the raid, which the Pentagon said also killed 14 militants. The 8-year-old daughter of militant Anwar al-Awlaki, Nawar, was also killed that day. Medics at the scene said about 30 people, including 10 women and children, died.

Military officials told Reuters this week that the operation went ahead without sufficient intelligence, ground support or adequate backup preparations.

As a result, three officials said, the attacking SEAL team found itself dropping onto a reinforced al Qaeda base defended by landmines, snipers, and a larger than expected contingent of heavily armed Islamist extremists.

But Central Command said earlier this week that it only asks for operations it believes have a good chance of success based on its planning. Pentagon spokesman Davis has said the element of surprise had not been lost in the raid.

Comments (284)

Share what you think

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now