U.S. targets al Qaeda suspects in Somalia, Pentagon official says

[Trinity]

taken from CNN...  just announced on CNN tv and internet media

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/01/08/somalia.strike/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. aerial gunship has attacked suspected al Qaeda targets in southern Somalia, a senior Pentagon official said Monday.

The AC-130 flew its mission within the last 24 hours, the official told CNN. The operation was launched based on intelligence that al Qaeda operatives were in that location, but there was no immediate indication of how successful the strike had been.

Additionally, the official said, the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower has moved within striking distance of Somalia, but its jets have not been put to use.

 

[midget-boyd91]

The U.S declared war against al Qaeda after 9/11. They hide in Somalia which is in an AO of part of OEF which is part of the original war on terrosm. I say good, there should be no place that these "scumbags" as Hillier put it so accurately to hide. Especially if they are the individuals responsible for previous attacks.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/08/somalia-alqaeda.html

U.S. attacks al-Qaeda suspects in Somalia: reports
Last Updated: Monday, January 8, 2007 | 9:56 PM ET
CBC News
The U.S. military has launched an air strike against suspected members of al-Qaeda in Somalia, according to reports.

CBS reported Monday that an Air Force AC-130 gunship led the attack against the site at the southern tip of Somalia. The gunship flew from its base in Djibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia.

The targets included the senior al-Qaeda leader in East Africa, and an al-Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

They are both also believed responsible for a 2002 attack on Israeli tourists in Kenya and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli aircraft the same day, NBC News reported.

There was no confirmation that either of the al-Qaeda targets had been killed in the strike.

U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaeda operatives, they would pass it on to the United States, NBC News reported.

The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say many bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as of yet, no confirmation of the identities, CBS reported.

With files from the Associated Press

I found the highlighted parts very interesting........if true than this is a very good thing.

 

[Dogboy]

the gov. in exile not the Islamic Courts who where in control of the contry.
the problem is now it will look like the US is backing one side in a internal civil war (ya another one )

 

[The Bread Guy]

Few more tidbits.....

Associated Press

Agence France Presse

Reuters

BBC Online

Voice of America

 

[Edward Campbell]

http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2007/01/08/somalia-alqaeda.html

U.S. attacks al-Qaeda suspects in Somalia: reports
Last Updated: Monday, January 8, 2007 | 9:56 PM ET
CBC News
The U.S. military has launched an air strike against suspected members of al-Qaeda in Somalia, according to reports.

CBS reported Monday that an Air Force AC-130 gunship led the attack against the site at the southern tip of Somalia. The gunship flew from its base in Djibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia.

The targets included the senior al-Qaeda leader in East Africa, and an al-Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

They are both also believed responsible for a 2002 attack on Israeli tourists in Kenya and an attempt to shoot down an Israeli aircraft the same day, NBC News reported.

There was no confirmation that either of the al-Qaeda targets had been killed in the strike.

U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaeda operatives, they would pass it on to the United States, NBC News reported.

The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say many bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as of yet, no confirmation of the identities, CBS reported.

With files from the Associated Press

I found the highlighted parts very interesting........if true than this is a very good thing.

I would agree, except for Rule 1, here: http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/55542/post-507824.html#msg507824

I suspect the 'assurances' were uttered in English and not a single soul in either the Ethiopian or Somali governments has any intention of ever living up to them.

 

[MarkOttawa]

America’s Boots on the Ground in Somalia
PajamasMedia, Jan. 9
http://www.pajamasmedia.com/2007/01/americas_boots_on_the_ground_i.php

The al-Qaeda affiliated Islamic Courts Union’s surprisingly rapid retreat in the face of Ethiopia’s military campaign in Somalia has puzzled many observers. How could the Ethiopians roll up the jihadists so quickly? Pajamas Media has learned that one significant factor is that U.S. air and ground forces covertly aided the Ethiopian military since its intervention began on Christmas day.

U.S. ground forces have been active in Somalia from the start, a senior military intelligence officer confirmed. “In fact,” he said, “they were part of the first group in.”..

Pajamas Media previously reported that Ethiopia’s use of helicopter gunships capable of targeting the Islamic Courts Union’s ground forces was a decisive factor in the army-to-army fighting against the ICU. A senior military intelligence source says that some of the gunships earlier described as Ethiopian were in fact U.S. aircraft. This has been confirmed by Dahir Jibreel, the transitional government’s permanent secretary in charge of international cooperation, who said that U.S. planes and helicopters with their markings obscured have been striking targets since December 25...

Via Counterterrorism Blog.
http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/01/americas_boots_on_the_ground_i.php

Mark
Ottawa

 

[tomahawk6]

Evidently citizens from a number of countries turned jihadi have been killed.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6332782,00.html

"Photographs have been taken and passports from different countries have been collected. The Kenyans are holding Eritrean and Canadian passport holders. We have injured people coming from Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, the United Kingdom."

 

[geo]

From my perspective, both the Somalian, Ethiopian & Kenyan govt's have any desire to meet, greet & make comfortable members of AQ or the radical Islamic Courts.  The more the US can knock-off is just icing on the cake.  All local govt's can deny having ever inked an agreement with the US and the world has been made a safer place by the "retirement" of some radicals.

PRICELESS!