U.S. Launches Attack on Suspected Al Qaeda Members in Somalia

[AntonK]

United States forces have launched a strike against suspected Al Qaeda members in Somalia, a senior U.S. official tells FOX News.

A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship carried out the attack as part of an ongoing operation. The official reports casualties on the ground, but is not sure if they are suspected terrorists.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242460,00.html

 

[AntonK]

US Strikes Al Qaeda in Somalia -- Update

(CBS/AP) A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively.

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 two American embassies in Africa, Martin reports. Those terror attacks killed more than 200 people.

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

The gunship flew from its base in Dijibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia, Martin reports, where the al Qaeda operatives had fled after being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.

Once they started moving, the al Qaeda operatives became easier to track, and the U.S. military started preparing for an air strike, using unmanned aerial drones to keep them under surveillance and moving the aircraft carrier Eisenhower out of the Persian Gulf toward Somalia. But when the order was given, the mission was assigned to the AC-130 gunship operated by the U.S. Special Operations command.

If the attack got the operatives it was aimed at, reports Martin, it would deal a major blow to al Qaeda in East Africa.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/08/world/main2335451.shtml

 

[Goku]

What a terrible situation for the Somali people.

As if the Afghan and Iraq wars wernt enough, now that bush administration is starting another war in Africa. Somalia, a poor nation, can hardly fight back. This is a bully attack by the US.

May God bring peace in Somalia, Ameen.

 

[Warthog]

What a terrible situation for the Somali people.

As if the Afghan and Iraq wars wernt enough, now that bush administration is starting another war in Africa. Somalia, a poor nation, can hardly fight back. This is a bully attack by the US.

May God bring peace in Somalia, Ameen.

Yawn, oink.......if you are going to complain about the many evils of the U.S., at least complain about the true ones. They are not attacking the somali people or even somalia. They are attacking terrorists.

 

[snakelegs]

the u.s. can attack anybody, any time. all it has to do is say "suspected al qaeda"

 

[Kswiss]

I am not really surprised that America bombed Somalia.

Afghanistan is poor.
Iraq is poor.
Somalia is poor.

 

[Woodrow]

Up Date from another news agency,

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. gunship has conducted a strike against two suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia, but it was not known whether the mission was successful, U.S. news networks reported on Monday.

The U.S. Air Force plane, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al Qaeda suspects were believed to have fled from the capital Mogadishu, U.S. networks reported.

Pentagon spokesman said he had no information on the reports.

The two suspected al Qaeda operatives were not named but CBS News said one was a suspect in the car bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the other was the Islamist group's senior leader in East Africa.

The report said many bodies were seen on the ground after the attack by the AC-130 gunship, but the identities of the dead were not confirmed.

The al Qaeda suspects fled Mogadishu after Ethiopian troops invaded on December 28 and were tracked with unmanned aerial drones as they moved south, CBS said.

NBC News reported that U.S. officials said Ethiopian forces, which had conducted raids in Somalia, had gathered intelligence on three potential al Qaeda leaders believed responsible for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Tanzania.

NBC reported that the airstrikes were part of an ongoing operation and that the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower was moving from the North Arabian Sea toward Somalia to support the operation.

Source: http://www.banadir.com/US_targeted_al_Qaeda_suspects_in.shtml

 

[Keltoi]

If the intel is good I say go for it.

 

[AHMED_GUREY]

this is the third time in one month that the US illegally attacked my people under the disguise of the terrorist label

"I understand there are so many dead bodies and animals in the village," the senior source told Reuters.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L09911049.htm

dead animals+dead bodies = innocent Farmers or innocent Nomads

but i'm aware of the US airforces track record in other muslim countries and it's blind onslaught on the innocent ones so this doesn't suprise me at all

the residents of Mogadishu said last month that the war planes that hit the airport came from the Sea, after these cowardly acts on a small village it's very easy to figure out who they were.

and what's with these Somali leaders today from Somalia to Djibouti what a cowards

how dare they aaarggghhhhhhhhh may they burn in hell :anger:

 

[~*~Serene~*~]

If the intel is good I say go for it.

^ how reliable is the US intel? pshhh. when will people stop follow media hype? Didn't the US make false claims that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction? Now the US is claiming SOMALIS have al qaeda members ?

How are Somalis even linked to al qaeda?:? None of this makes sense at all. Where is the proof? Why are people not asking more questions?

 

[north_malaysian]

the u.s. can attack anybody, any time. all it has to do is say "suspected al qaeda"

LOL!!!!

I wonder, if US already attacked every single Muslim nations, erased all of us Muslims from this world - WORLD MUST BE A BETTER PLACE, right?:exhausted

 

[Trumble]

^ how reliable is the US intel?
How are Somalis even linked to al qaeda?

I suspect very reliable in this case if particular individuals had been visually tracked by drones all the way from Mogadishu. There seems no real reason to doubt that Somali Islamists were sheltering al Qaeda operatives, either. They are and have been active in East Africa, where else would they be based other than in Somalia?

The question here is whether the US action was proportionate. There is no evidence more than one building was attacked (there was no 'bombing' BTW, the Spectre is a gunship not a bomber), but it's hardly the most subtle weapon in the world and it was highly likely innocent civilians would be killed. How many were, if any, we don't know... if the Islamists were with the al Qaeda types you can hardly qualify them as 'innocent' in that context - the Americans certainly wouldn't. It's too early to judge until we know exactly who was killed.

the residents of Mogadishu said last month that the war planes that hit the airport came from the Sea, after these cowardly acts on a small village it's very easy to figure out who they were.

"Easy", but almost certainly wrong. The direction from which a bombing run is made rarely has much to do with where the planes may have taken off from. The obvious low level approach to the airport in order to remain undetected as long as possible is 'from the sea' wherever the planes were based; go look at a map of the city. The Ethiopians have plenty of planes to do that job, so no need to conjour up the boogie-man in that instance.

 

[Skillganon]

I suspect very reliable in this case if particular individuals had been visually tracked by drones all the way from Mogadishu. There seems no real reason to doubt that Somali Islamists were sheltering al Qaeda operatives, either. They are and have been active in East Africa, where else would they be based other than in Somalia?

Actually by thei line of reasoning majority if the members here are al-qaeda now. Since we all oppose the U.S gov and see it now (gathering of what they are doing) an open enemy and legitimate target for those who seek retaliation.

The question here is whether the US action was proportionate. There is no evidence more than one building was attacked (there was no 'bombing' BTW, the Spectre is a gunship not a bomber), but it's hardly the most subtle weapon in the world and it was highly likely innocent civilians would be killed. How many were, if any, we don't know... if the Islamists were with the al Qaeda types you can hardly qualify them as 'innocent' in that context - the Americans certainly wouldn't. It's too early to judge until we know exactly who was killed.

.

The question was wheter the U.S action is legal if any if it action has gone to shown they are not. They have proven the muslim they are open enemy. Don't be dumfounded by their speech of "democracy".
Just a mere amusement.

Who cares if was a spectre or a al-qaeda homing missile. They are fully aware of the capabilites and destruction of the weapon. The target was intended, bear in mind that if you any muslim was their even members from here will be targeted for you strict conformity to Islam and their desire to govern by it, even if al-qaeda was their or not.
Their has many previous post by members here concerning this. It just proves the point.

 

[AHMED_GUREY]

"Easy", but almost certainly wrong. The direction from which a bombing run is made rarely has much to do with where the planes may have taken off from. The obvious low level approach to the airport in order to remain undetected as long as possible is 'from the sea' wherever the planes were based; go look at a map of the city. The Ethiopians have plenty of planes to do that job, so no need to conjour up the boogie-man in that instance.

that's a lame comeback the habashi's don't have a navy and their airforce base is in Bilate and that's in Afariland

if the habashi's had the right planes as you claim then why didn't they carry out today's attack instead of the US?

 

[Skillganon]

Oyeah I forgot another one. These Warlords are terrorist and by U.S support and abeting of terrorist they are deemed a legit target for war.
Sister Mariam has provided you a very good answer.

 

[Trumble]

that's a lame comeback the habashi's don't have a navy and their airforce base is in Bilate and that's in Afariland

Try actually reading what I posted. Let me repeat for you;

The obvious low level approach to the airport in order to remain undetected as long as possible is 'from the sea' wherever the planes were based

Ethiopian pilots would also probably approach from the sea. There is no requirement that an attack run be made from the direction of a warplane's base, and usually circumstances (air defences, chance of being detected, etc) will suggest the attack be made from a totally different direction. BTW, there were no US carriers in range of Somalia at that time, so any US attack would have been from land based planes, anyway.

if the habashi's had the right planes as you claim then why didn't they carry out today's attack instead of the US?

First reason, bombing a runway is a totally different mission from attacking a specific two-man target in one building. Second, and primary, reason, American drones tracked al Qaeda operatives suspected of terrorist attacks against Americans, and they were subsequently hit by an American plane. The operation had nothing to do with Ethiopia, hence, obviously, Ethiopian planes would not be used.

 

[classicalislam]

Asalamu Alaikum

This has become a classical line for the US of America ”suspect al Qaeda” by saying this no one in the world raises a single eye brows thus gives the USA license to kill innocents. Incredible

“Suspect” means… think, believe, suppose, expect, imagine, guess, assume, presume, have a sneaking suspicion… so…on… and…so…on…the… list goes on.

 

[Trumble]

Oyeah I forgot another one. These Warlords are terrorist and by U.S support and abeting of terrorist they are deemed a legit target for war.

'Deemed' by who, exactly?

 

[Skillganon]

Try actually reading what I posted. Let me repeat for you;

Ethiopian pilots would also probably approach from the sea. There is no requirement that an attack run be made from the direction of a warplane's base, and usually circumstances (air defences, chance of being detected, etc) will suggest the attack be made from a totally different direction. BTW, there were no US carriers in range of Somalia at that time, so any US attack would have been from land based planes, anyway.

First reason, bombing a runway is a totally different mission from attacking a specific two-man target in one building. Second, and primary, reason, American drones tracked al Qaeda operatives suspected of terrorist attacks against Americans, and they were subsequently hit by an American plane. The operation had nothing to do with Ethiopia, hence, obviously, Ethiopian planes would not be used.

Actually ethopian invasion has everything got to do with U.S so it does not matter either way. Secondly U.S suppose intelligent is no credible reason to attack somalia or based any attack as such. Also "suspected", "if" or gut feeling does not come to play for a war or any such attack even if such absurd notion is justifiable.

Secondly this is got to do with a Islamic orientated goverment less freindly to the U.S and their interest in the middle east and africa.

Lastly a country that is in constant violation of U.N regulation, not to mention illegal war, lies e.t.c (forget their desire for downfall of Islam and the muslims) has no credibility and nothing comes from them is good.

 

[Keltoi]

According to a news report I just heard, one of the captured or killed was a man linked to the east Africa embassy bombings. The Somali government has reportedly confirmed many more Al-Qaeda members killed in the attack. It also stated that the U.S. is moving an aircraft carrier into the region to make sure none of the targets will escape. From the sound of things, this operation was well planned and the targets clearly identified.