It's been said that the Italian government paid the terrorists as much as ten million dollars in ransom for this journalist. If so, the Italians probably were trying to do this whole operation covertly, without informing the US, most likely because the US would object.
Once you start paying ransom you create a powerful incentive for terrorists to take more hostages.
If the US was kept in the dark about this whole maneuver, then the US soldiers had no choice but to intervene with a car that came zooming at them on a highway where other US soldiers have died from car bombs.
More pointless hysteria from the Left. It gets really old.
That is exactly what I heard Brett Baier report on Fox...that the U.S. is almost 100% certain a ransom was paid and the deal was kept from us because they knew we would object.
Baier was not confirming this in fact happened, but the suspicion many of us had is indeed shared by the administration and when they verify it we will hear about it.
Plus, that ransom money is hard cash that can be used to buy things that aren't readily available without money. Just as an example, they may have plenty of shells to explode anywhere they want, but cell phones to blow them up cost real money.
No wonder we would object. That money is being used to kill our sons, fathers and brothers.