Story highlights Trump repeated his defense of the mission

The raid in Yemen occurred in the second weekend of Trump's presidency

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump appeared to put responsibility on his generals for the death of a Navy SEAL in a mission he approved.

Asked in an interview with Fox News Monday about the controversial US raid in Yemen last month, Trump repeatedly emphasized the role others played in planning the mission before he signed off on it.

The operation against an al Qaeda target resulted in the Trump administration's first combat death, Navy SEAL Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens, after Special Forces came under enemy fire.

"This was a mission that was started before I got here. This was something that was, you know, just they wanted to do. They came to see me. They explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected," he said. "My generals are the most respected that we've had in many decades I believe. And they lost Ryan."

The White House did not respond to a CNN request to clarify the meaning of Trump's comments.

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