Uncle Sam at it again - Somalia this time

[sky's the limit]

The Americans just do whatever they want... it's getting very old.

stl



From Barbara Starr
CNN Pentagon Correspondent
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The United States attacked a "known terrorist target" with precision missiles in southern Somalia on Monday, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

The strike destroyed two houses -- killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people -- Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN. Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked "US K."

The U.S. military official said the United States is still collecting post-strike information and is not yet able to confirm any casualties.

He described Monday's strike as "very deliberate" and said forces tried to use caution to avoid hitting civilians.
U.S. involvement in Somalia
# 1992: U.S. and other nations send troops in effort to quell wartime famine
# 1993: Somali militias shoot down U.S. Black Hawk helicopters, killing 18 Army Rangers
# 1994: U.S. withdraws forces
# January 2007: U.S. launches two airstrikes in a month, targeting anti-U.S. fighters
# June 2007: U.S. Navy destroyer fires in support of Somali forces attacking militants, according to local official

Villagers have fled in fear of another strike, Dherre said.

"We woke up with a loud and big bang and when we came out we found our neighbor's house completely obliterated as if no house existed here," Fatuma Abdullahi, a resident of the town, told The Associated Press. "We are taking shelter under trees. Three planes were flying over our heads."

Clan elder Ahmed Nur Dalab told AP that said a senior Islamic official, Hassan Turki, was in town Sunday to mediate between his fighters and a militia loyal to the government. Turki's forces took over Dhoobley last week, AP reported.

Dherre told CNN he did not know of any Islamist extremists in the village.

The United States conducted similar strikes in southern Somalia in January 2007 against al Qaeda targets, hoping to kill some of the militants suspected in the 1998 attacks against the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

U.S. officials later confirmed they did not believe they achieved that goal.

The 2007 targets also included members of the Islamic Courts Union, who had recently been driven out of power in Somalia by Ethiopian-backed Somali troops.
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Washington accuses the Islamic movement of harboring fugitives from the al Qaeda terrorist network, including a suspect in the 1998 embassy bombings.

Somalia has been mired in chaos since 1991, when warlords overthrew dictator Mohamed Siad Barre and then turned on each other. E-mail to a friend E-mail to a friend

Journalist Mohamed Amiin Adow contributed to this report.

[Guido]

The strike destroyed two houses -- killing three women and three children, and wounding another 20 people -- Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN. Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked "US K."

That's some fine shooting there, Sam.

[corporate joe]

collateral damage right?

[mellow_pilot]

reporter says it's so and everyone jumps... it probably happened in Thiland...

[Guido]

reporter says it's so and everyone jumps... it probably happened in Thiland...

Umm... yeah, ok.

Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN

The United States attacked a "known terrorist target" with precision missiles in southern Somalia on Monday, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

But y'know, whatever you'd like to think...

[North of You]

So here we go again, the neo cons (spit) are at it again. Here we have a country who has not declared war upon Somalia, and uses the “we know they were there, trust us” justification again.

How would these folks like it if the rest of the world were to bomb Washington and justify it by saying “we attacked a known terrorist target”! Bloody hypocrites!!

[rotorhead350]

And once again Americans will wonder why there is so much worldwide hatred for them. There is no doubt that there will be another September 11th. The hatred just continues to grow.

[North of You]

It’s one thing when you enemies are telling you are an a__ h___. But when your next door neighbor, and all of your friends are telling you the same thing, you just may be an a__ h___.

[mellow_pilot]

reporter says it's so and everyone jumps... it probably happened in Thiland...

Umm... yeah, ok.

Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN

The United States attacked a "known terrorist target" with precision missiles in southern Somalia on Monday, a U.S. military official said.

The strike near Dhoobley, which is close to the Kenyan border, was aimed at a "facility where there were known terrorists" affiliated with East African al Qaeda operations, according to the official.

But y'know, whatever you'd like to think...

LOL, sorry... I'm bitter from a recent experience.

[ottawa,kan]

Hey North of You...I think I missed it. Did Al Quida declare war on Washington before they killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 in New York? Or when they killed 5 in the earlier bombing? How about when they blew up our embassies in Africa? Did they let us know in advance?? Did you happen to notice that many hundreds of totally innocent Africans were butchered, but only a relatively few amaericans? How about when they killed the 17 sailors on the USS Cole? Did they declare war first and let the Yemeni government know they would be using Yemeni territory for the attack? How much of this happened or was planned when the grat liberal Mr. Clinton was in office?? All of it? So how does it have anything to do with the Neocons?. Look up a Norweigen named Vikdor Quisling why don't you?

[sky's the limit]

Hey North of You...I think I missed it. Did Al Quida declare war on Washington before they killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 in New York? Or when they killed 5 in the earlier bombing? How about when they blew up our embassies in Africa? Did they let us know in advance?? Did you happen to notice that many hundreds of totally innocent Africans were butchered, but only a relatively few amaericans? How about when they killed the 17 sailors on the USS Cole? Did they declare war first and let the Yemeni government know they would be using Yemeni territory for the attack? How much of this happened or was planned when the grat liberal Mr. Clinton was in office?? All of it? So how does it have anything to do with the Neocons?. Look up a Norweigen named Vikdor Quisling why don't you?

Stinson,

I don't think you want to start listing numbers.... your team is WAY ahead...

And yes, they "let you know in advance," it's just that nobody was listening. PM me if you want a reading list, it's a bit frightening.

stl

[Guido]

Hey North of You...I think I missed it. Did Al Quida declare war on Washington before they killed thousands of Americans on 9/11 in New York?

Not to back up the other guy, but yes, Bin Laden did...

[Spokes]

So here we go again, the neo cons (spit) are at it again. Here we have a country who has not declared war upon Somalia, and uses the “we know they were there, trust us” justification again.

How would these folks like it if the rest of the world were to bomb Washington and justify it by saying “we attacked a known terrorist target”! Bloody hypocrites!!

I may be kinda dumb, but what the hell is a neo con?

Why no outrage when President Clinton did the same type of thing?

And I don't know about the "rest of the world", but I seem to remember something about a bunch of guys bombing Washington with an airliner full of people.

[JakeYYZ]

I feel for the innocents who have died, but that is what happens when a terrorist group is so cowardly to use their own for human shields.

U.S. forces found, targeted and killed in a Somali desert city the senior al Qaeda operative who masterminded the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Africa and had since spent a decade in hiding, The Washington Times has learned.

Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, who is one of the FBI's most-wanted terrorists, was the target of a U.S. missile strike on a residence in Dobley, a small town in southern Somalia near the Kenyan border, according to a U.S. military official who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the operation.

Link: http://washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dl ... 002/NATION

The U.S. for the most part successfully target and dispatch the genuinely bad guys….there’s no denying collateral damage can and does occur but that it would be nearly insignificant if the meccamaniac’s ‘played’ at war in a civilized manner….but they don’t….

[Widow]

If they knew where the guy was, why did they have to bomb the village? That doesn't exactly sit well, either.

[Mustard]

Americans don't mind killing women and children. Just ask the Japanese.

[Guido]

The U.S. for the most part successfully target and dispatch the genuinely bad guys….there’s no denying collateral damage can and does occur but that it would be nearly insignificant if the meccamaniac’s ‘played’ at war in a civilized manner….but they don’t….

War is not civilized, no matter how you "play" it.

[The Old Fogducker]

Mustard:

I'll make a point of asking the next time I speak to one of the many Hong Kong vets.

Fog

[Hotel Tango]

Yeah... I don't think the japanese should be complaining about the killing of innocent women and children.
Just look up the Nanking Massacre. It's just one example of how ruthless and brutal they were. Just because they deny it ever happened and omit their war crimes from all the textbooks in Japan doesn't mean they weren't committed.

[ottawa,kan]

Some food for thought here, especially the part about Bin Laden having pretty much told us what he was going to do. But it wasn't a Neo Con he told, now was it?? Ah well, it's Senator Obama next and then all will be peace and love, and the Europeans will again love us all. Especially the french, huh?