News about the rescue of American doctor Dilip Joseph by US Special Operations Forces in a raid on a Taliban hideout Sunday surprised many who were unaware that the The operation was launched when US military officials gathered intelligence that Dr. Joseph was "in imminent danger of injury or death". A member of the special ops rescue team was wounded during the raid and later died. Expressing his condolences, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said, "The special operators who conducted this raid knew they were putting their lives on the line to free a fellow American from the enemy's grip."
It's little wonder that the Special Operations Forces community like to keep all of the details under wraps. But why is it so important to keep even the identity of the kidnapping victim, including the fact that anyone was kidnapped at all, secret?