U.S. Carries out Strikes Against Al Qaeda in Somalia
Jan 9th, 2007 | 5 responses
As Holly noted earlier today, the U.S. has carried out strikes against the Islamists in southern Somalia. The target: Fazul Abdullah Mohammed.
A U.S. airstrike hit targets in southern Somalia where Islamic militants were believed to be sheltering suspects in the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies, Somali officials and witnesses said Tuesday. Many people were reported killed.
Monday’s attack was the first overt military action by the U.S. in Somalia since the 1990s and the legacy of a botched intervention — known as “Black Hawk Down” — that left 18 U.S. servicemen dead.
Helicopter gunships launched new attacks Tuesday near the scene of the U.S. air strike, although it was not clear if they were American or Ethiopian aircraft, and it was not known if there were any casualties.
Two helicopters “fired several rockets toward the road that leads to the Kenyan border,” said Ali Seed Yusuf, a resident of the town of Afmadow in southern Somalia.
Also:
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived off Somalia’s coast and launched intelligence-gathering missions over Somalia, the military said. Three other U.S. warships are conducting anti-terror operations off the Somali coast…
But a U.S. government official said at least one AC-130 gunship was used. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation’s sensitivity.
The Ethiopians did us a big favor by dislodging the Islamists from Mogadishu. Once on the run, the US could bring all of its technological assets on line to track them, and the Air Force waited long enough for all of them to run into the trap. The Navy positioned the USS Eisenhower in the waters nearby Somalia just in case it finds even more targets to strike.
That hasn’t stopped the Ethiopians, either. Their forces have surrounded an al-Qaeda base and may have overrun it by the time you read this post. Between the three forces, including those loyal to the Somalian transitional government, AQ in Africa is about to take a huge blow, perhaps even a fatal defeat.
The Ethiopians, evidently, chased an East African cell of Al Qaeda group out of Mogadishu. We have been working with the Ethiopians directly on Al Qaeda and other national security interests we have in common. AC-130 gunships, which are attached to Special Forces in the area, acting on information from a Predator drone, then let loose on this Al Qaeda cell today. Bodies have been found, but they have not been identified, so it’s not certain if Fazul was hit. Fazul has been active in east African and Kenya since his twenties. Fazul speaks four languages and is considered one of the best tacticians in Al Qaeda. If Special Forces and the U.S. military got Fazul in this attack, it would be considered a huge win, according to Bob Windrem of MSNBC.
Not just according to Bob Windrem of course. If the U.S. is able to take out Fazul, an important Al Qaeda figure has been killed by the U.S., just several weeks after Islamists / Al Qaeda thought that they could take over an entire country.
This is the beginning of a long and bloody guerilla war. Just as the American blitz to Baghdad was the beginning and not the end; just as Afghanistan is still not pacified – neither is Somalia and neither will it be.
Why, exactly, the US continues to insist on backing losers is beyond me. But the end result will be another nation in chaos where al-Qa’eda is very welcome. If the ICU had taken over Somalia they could have been dealt with as you deal with nations – pressure, sanctions, maybe even bombing runs – plus the carrot of aid and trade relations. As a guerilla movement there is nothing the US can do to them that it has not already done.
The ICU will win in the long run. A lot of people will die in the meantime. Al-Qa’eda will have another haven, and the US will be reviled for putting a bunch of bloodthirsty raping monsters back into power.
All in a day’s work in the Bush administration.
Obviously – as I have said on numerous occasions by now – the West should come in with money, knowledge and materials to rebuild Somalia ASAP. Besides that, Western countries should try to give political help to Somalia / the Somali government. Business as usual cannot be afforded.
That being said, it seems a bit early to declare defeat. Ian might well be on to something; namely that Ethiopia and the U.S. should not try to occupy Somalia for an extended period (on which I agree), but to declare defeat now, seems a bit of a stretch.
I have long argued that the West should focus on Africa. Let ‘us’ start now. The United States seems to understand what has to be done, Europe – sadly – not. At least, I do not hear anything substantial coming from Europe for now except for an occasional ‘we hope that casualties will be limited’, so to speak.
Let European countries and the America come together to talk about Africa, to make a plan, not just for Somalia, but for the development of Africa as a whole.
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5 Responses to “U.S. Carries out Strikes Against Al Qaeda in Somalia”
I agree completely about the need for developed nations to invest in Africa, but a related and disturbing story (perhaps worthy of a separate post?) is how China is buying influence in Africa.
LINK
You have to wonder if China’s aid without “conditions” will undermine the West’s attempt to promote development along with human rights.
Ian’s point is just ridiculous. The idea that we should let demonstrably bad guys win control of a country so that we can then better negotiate and pressure them, is foolhardy at best, and capitulation at worst. It assumes, essentially, that if the bad guys are tough, mean, and vicious enough that they will always win by gaining control of a whole country, and we, in an abundance of realpolitik will acquiesce and treat them like sovereigns. The only solution is to steadfastly oppose evil, at every opportunity, not acquiesce in its minor victories.
Is it just me or is there more going on in southern somalia. Jihadists from canada, australia, the Uk, the US, Pakistan, Yemen, Sudan, The Commorro Islands, even Saudis/ Are all these somali’s with foreign passports or real jihadists who beleive in the world Islamic Caliphate? Is Ras Kamboni the African Tora Bora? Who are these Alqueda people that are supposed to have been hidden by the movement in Ras Kamboni? Is Osama Bin Laden among them? It would be the least obvious place to hide. Why Is the Deputy leader of AlQueda calling for an urgent Holy War in Somalia? Why are all these predators, C130′s, Air Craft Carriers and Battle groups, Sattelites converging around Ras kamboni? It is all food for thought.
Ian Welsh is way off base in my opinion. First off, its not the beginning of a long bloody guerilla campaign, its been going on for years. And considering that it looked like Al-Queda had Somolia firmly in its grip as little as two weeks ago, this was probably one of the few victories in the “War on Terror” that we can point to and say nicely done.
Second, unlike Iraq there is a local group that was able to step in and take over control of the country once the terrorists got the boot. Its certainly not going to be an easy ride, but its not like Iraq where there was literally nothing to fill the power vacuum.
And as far as stepping in with money and aid, lets not forget the existing conditions in Somolia. The guys who are now in charge as still bloodthirsty warlords, the lesser of two evils. It is extremely difficult to actually get aid to this country in any way where it can reach the people that need it. Money goes to line the pockets of the warlords, food gets stockpiled and used as leverage against the populace, et cetera. Whether its our guys or AQ in control, its still a country in chaos. They are going to have to take a few years to set the country in order before the west can get help to them in any meaningful way. If clobbering Al-Queda when they stick their necks out like this gets them closer to that then all the better. The final win is up to the people of Somolia, yesterdays airstrike was just a push in the right direction.
Captain’s Quarters says, “Between the three forces, including those loyal to the Somalian transitional government, AQ in Africa is about to take a huge blow, perhaps even a fatal defeat.”
So we won a battle, that does not mean we have won the campaign in this theater. We must follow up, but that does guarantee the AQ group will not be back as insurgents in months and years to come. We must follow up smartly.