A rescue to free an American doctor who was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan cost the life of a Navy SEAL. Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Cheque was killed Saturday during a raid to free Dr. Dilip Joseph, who was kidnapped by Taliban insurgents last Wednesday.
Cheque was a member of SEAL Team Six, the same elite unit that took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr has the story.
Navy identifies SEAL killed in Afghanistan rescue
The U.S. Defense Department on Monday identified the SEAL killed during a successful raid to free a captive doctor in Afghanistan.
Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, died Saturday during the effort to free Dr. Dilip Joseph, the Navy said. NATO commanders believed Joseph was in imminent danger from his captors when the raid took place.
While the Defense Department announcement said only that Checque belonged to an "East Coast-based Special Warfare Unit," a U.S. official said the man was a member of the Navy's Special Warfare Development Group, more commonly known as SEAL Team Six. The elite unit is the same one that took part in the raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The official didn't know if the SEAL who died was involved in that operation.
"He gave his life for his fellow Americans, and he and his teammates remind us once more of the selfless service that allows our nation to stay strong, safe and free," President Barack Obama said of the slain SEAL before his identity was made public.
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That's a pretty massive loss. Hopefully this Morningstar is going to do a lot of good.