The Department of Defense has identified the Navy SEAL killed in the rescue of a kidnapped U.S. doctor in Afghanistan as Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, of Monroeville, Pennsylvania.
According to the DoD, Checque died of combat related injuries suffered Dec. 8, while supporting operations near Kabul, Afghanistan. Checque was assigned to an East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare unit.
Earlier today, CNN reported:
A U.S. official said the man who was shot dead belonged to 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, but the official didn't know if the fallen service member was involved in that operation.
A spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan told the Associated Press the kidnapped doctor was Dr. Dilip Joseph, who serves as a medical adviser for Morning Star Development.
Morning Star Development is, according to its Facebook page, a nonprofit organization that operates "community development projects" throughout Afghanistan.
According to a news release by the Department of Defense:
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the NATO and U.S. commander in Afghanistan, ordered the rescue when intelligence indicated the man was in imminent danger of injury or death. ISAF officials said it was a joint U.S.-Afghan rescue.
A Morning Star spokesman told the A.P. that armed men kidnapped three of its workers last week while they were returning "from a visit to one of the organization's rural medical clinics" outside of Kabul:
The relief group said it would not reveal the identity of the other two men because they live and work in the region. The group said it did not pay ransom to obtain their release.
The two other kidnap victims were released by their captors roughly 11 hours before the SEAL rescue of Dr. Joseph. According to Morning Star, Dr. Joseph was not injured in the kidnapping, and is expected to return to the United States within the week.
