An al-Shabaab fighter who pretended, quite convincingly, not to see a swarm of Navy SEALs. A group of children among militants. These were the unexpected forces, U.S. military sources told NBC News, that foiled the operation to capture the terror suspect known as Ikrima. The team of less than two dozen SEALs from SEAL Team 6 — the same team that raided the Osama bin Laden compound — had entered the al-Shabaab compound in southern Somalia and taken their positions when a single fighter walked into plain view, smoked a cigarette and went back inside, giving no indication he had seen the SEALs, one source familiar with the raid told NBC News. But he came back out firing an AK-47, and his gunfire was followed by that of Ikrima's other fighters. The SEALs could spot Ikrima inside, heavily protected, but couldn't get to him — and then, amid the firefight, they saw children, and more fighters swarmed in from the nearby village. The SEALs withdrew in stages, deciding it was not worth the risk of casualties to civilians and themselves.
