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 "On behalf of the American people, I offer my deepest condolences
to Luke’s family and to his loved ones," he said in a statement.
"As this and previous hostage rescue operations demonstrate, the
United States will spare no effort to use all of its military,
intelligence and diplomatic capabilities to bring Americans home
safely, wherever they are located.
"And terrorists who seek to harm our citizens will feel the long arm
of American justice," he said.
Obama said he authorized the raid on Friday to rescue Somers and
other hostages held in the same location. He said the United States
had used every tool at its disposal to secure Somers' release since
his capture 15 months ago.
He also thanked the Yemen government for its support.
"Luke was a photojournalist who sought through his images to convey
the lives of Yemenis to the outside world," Obama said.
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"The callous disregard for Luke’s life is more proof of the depths
of AQAP’s depravity, and further reason why the world must never
cease in seeking to defeat their evil ideology," he said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Tom Heneghan)
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