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  • The Atlantic

    The Buck Stops Over There

    The president loves splashy displays of military might. But when something goes wrong, he blames his generals.
    by Kathy Gilsinan Jan 13, 2019 2 minutes
    Source: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty

    Editor’s Note: This article is one of 50 in a series about Trump's first two years as president.

    Donald Trump hadn’t yet served two full weeks in office when the U.S. military suffered the first combat fatality of his administration. William “Ryan” Owens, a 36-year-old father of three, had died in a Special Operations mission in Yemen that Trump personally approved. His reaction: Blame the generals.

    The moment Team 6 raid to gather intelligence, and possibly snatch a high-value terrorist target. It was an operation that, according to a by NBC News, Trump green-lit after a dinner with advisers. But something went wrong, and the met a surprise counterattack, NBC reported. Not only Owens, but more than a dozen Yemeni civilians were killed, including children.

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