US hits Al Qaeda in Somalia
Now, we’re talkin’. I have been talking about the global war on terror needed to be truly global. We know that Somalia has been a strong hold for al Qaeda. If we weren’t bogged down in Iraq we could hit other targets in Southeast Asia as well.
From CNN.com:
A U.S. 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 the 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.
Update (1-9-07)
NYT has more information here.
Update (1-10-07 reposted)
So I’m reading today’s update and I stop and I have to re-read this one section. The Somali government needs US troops. They are waiting for them to arrive any minute. What!!! Now, this is reminding me of a West Wing episode. That episode didn’t end well for the Americans. We are sending troops to Somalia. The home of Black Hawk Down? I’m hoping that someone thought this through.
More from CNN.com:
A senior al Qaeda suspect wanted for bombing U.S. embassies in East Africa has been killed, a Somali official said Wednesday as witnesses said U.S forces launched a third day of airstrikes.
Also Wednesday, Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister said American troops were needed on the ground to root extremists from his troubled country, and he expected the troops soon.
The death of al Qaeda suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed was detailed in an American intelligence report passed on to the Somali authorities. Mohammed, one of the FBI’s most wanted terrorists who has evaded capture for eight years, was allegedly harbored by a Somali Islamic movement that had challenged this country’s Ethiopian-backed government for power.
There are surely already U.S. operatives on the ground in Somalia or at the border between Somalia and Kenya. They wouldn’t likely be called “troops” as we don’t usually acknowledge covert forces. But I’m sure there were people on the ground in position and ready to try to scoop these guys up if the air attack hadn’t been successful.
I know that’s not what Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister means when he says he expects troops on the ground, but that’s probably about all he’s going to get.