In an August raid in Afghanistan, U.S. special forces killed a handful of enemy combatants but did not locate the two hostages they were sent to rescue, Fox News reported Thursday.

“One of the hostages is American; the other is Australian,” noted the news-network’s website. “It was not the first attempt by the U.S. military to rescue the two professors.”

“The first mission was aborted when the American rescue force could not obtain White House approval for the mission amid concerns about the intelligence, according to three defense officials,” Fox News explained.

What’s more, reported Fox, one source complained that the first rescue effort was delayed due to Obama White House “bureaucracy.”

The Haqqani network is believed to be behind the Aug. 7 kidnapping, Fox said. “Today, the U.S. intelligence community is ‘not confident’ where the two hostages are, according to multiple officials.”