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Somali interim president orders border town’s air strike Speaking to
Sharqul-Owsat newspaper one of Somali president Abdullhi Yusuf Ahmed’s
aides quoting the president’s remark has declared that the leader has
ordered the bombing of US warplanes in Dobley border town.
The president has also informed that the United State’s air raid
motivation was to put off groups he described as “terrorists” regroups in
some Somali regions.
“They want to organize terrorist attacks from the country’s provinces to
the government bases to encumber the security of the country” Yusuf said
He accused al-Qaida network of planning terrorism attacks aligned with
his government and sponsor the fighters against his government.
“ Active al-Qaida cells are in the country my government will
impressively fight with these groups,” he said.
He also acknowledged that the transitional government and the United
States would jointly corporate with anti-terrorism campaign saying that
their aim is solitary on the uprooting of what he called international
terrorism and to prevent them to have a havens in Somalia.
He as well announced that the transitional government’s security
services have full information about the terrorism supporters and where
they stay.
Yusuf in conclusion urged the world community to back his government’s
campaign not in favor of what he described “anti-terrorism opereration”
saying lack of their support Somalia will be jeopardized by terrorism
groups.
The US military warplanes fired at least one cruise missile into southern
Somalia near the Kenyan border, targeting an Al-Qaeda leader, a US military
official said Monday.
"On March 2, the US conducted an attack against a known Al-Qaeda terrorist
in southern Somalia," Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed.
Whitman would provide no details on the type of attack, the identity of the
target, or the outcome.
But a military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said at least
one cruise missile, possibly more, was launched at the target in southern
Somalia.
"They're still trying to assess the damage, the effectiveness," the
official said.
US warships and submarines are armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles, but the
official would not say whether the strike was launched from a US warship
and would not give the identity of the Al-Qaeda leader targeted in the
strike.
A spokesman for the Islamist movement that is leading an insurgency against
the Somali government said an Islamist-held town was bombed, and civilian
targets were hit in an attack carried out by a US AC-130 gunship.
The US military official said he knew of no AC-130 gunships being used in
the attack, only cruise missiles.
A town elder told AFP the raid, which he said occurred early Monday,
appeared to have focused on three targets in the town. Elder Abdullahi
Sheikh Duale said four civilians were killed.
It was unclear whether the United States coordinated the attack with the
Somali government or other governments in the region.
"As we have repeatedly said, we will continue to pursue terrorist
activities and their operations wherever we may find them," Whitman said.
"We do work very closely with our partners in the region in the conduct of
our military operations," he said, reading from a prepared statement.
"We will continue to seek out identify, capture and if necessary kill
terrorists where they plan their activities, carry out their operations, or
seek safe harbor," he said.
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