Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued this statement on President Obama’s announcement that a U.S. counterterrorism operation resulted in the deaths of two hostages:

“The death of Warren Weinstein is a terrible loss for his family, his country, and the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan whose lives he was dedicated to improving.  Tragically, efforts to find Mr. Weinstein and Italian hostage Giovanni Lo Porto and prevent further such kidnappings, resulted in the deaths of two innocent men.  I offer my condolences to both families.

“Others recently killed were al-Qaeda leaders plotting against America as they held hostages.   Adam Gadahn was a U.S. citizen, raised in California with every possible opportunity and freedom.  And in the end, he spent years trying to destroy our freedoms and encouraging others with hate-filled speech after betraying our country.

“It was proper that the Administration released this information to the American people and acknowledged that their deaths were a mistake.  As our intelligence and military communities continue to search for our enemies and their innocent hostages, we will be faced with the challenge of making the right call time and time again.”

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