A scenario made from espionage movie. In early 2019, members of the Seal Team 6 select unit landed on a North Korean coast with the aim of installing an electronic tracking device that would allow the United States to steal leader communications Kim Jong Unwhile he was in direct diplomatic conversations with the Donald Trumpreveals the New York Times in extensive research.
The stake for Donald Trump’s government was strategic: to fill a huge gap of the American Information Mechanism, which was unable to secure reliable data from the interior of Kim Jong Un regime, the most closed in the world.
But the mission was quickly derailed. The commandos, thinking they arrived at a deserted coast, were faced with a North Korean boat. Fearing that they were found, they opened fire. Within a few seconds, the whole crew had been killed. According to the New York Times, they were probably civilians. The Seals abandoned the mission without installing the device and urgently left for an American submarine who was openly waiting for them.
A business that was never recognized
Neither Washington nor Pyongyang ever acknowledged the existence of this business. The US Congress had not been informed, despite the legal obligation to notify the Sensitive Information Committees. “This is precisely the kind of mission for which Congress should have been informed,” a senior official cited by the newspaper said. The White House, when asked by the New York Times, refused to comment.
The newspaper is based on testimonies of about 24 sources – political officials, former military, members of the Trump government – all under anonymity. Some explained that they spoke because the failed ventures of the US Special Forces are systematically hiding, while only impressive successes, such as the operation against bin Laden in 2011, are released.
Huge risks in the midst of negotiations
The invasion of North Korean territory, while the Hanoi Summit was prepared between Trump and Kim, could cause hostage crisis or even a direct conflict with an opponent armed with nuclear rockets. Although the February 2019 meeting took place, it ended up in failure.
A few months later, Pyongyang rebooted the missile tests and further tackled its attitude. Today, US agencies estimate that North Korea has about 50 nuclear heads and the ability to produce dozens more.
A blow within a series of failures
According to the New York Times, this failed mission led to internal investigations, which concluded that the commandos acted in accordance with the rules of engagement, even if civilians were killed. The case, however, highlights the boundaries of a unit that is considered one of the most frightening in the world. Seal Team 6, for decades, has been carrying out high -risk missions. Some remained in history, but others ended up in a fiasco, from Panama to Somalia and Yemen.
Under Trump’s presidency, political supervision of such operations had been limited, allowing him to quickly approve dangerous missions. With the assumption of power, Joe Biden ordered a new mission in North Korea. The findings remain confidential.
One is certain: this episode shows that, behind the heroic image of the American commandos, there are failures with potentially devastating consequences – this time in North Korea, in a territory where every mistake could light fire all over the planet.