U.S. Strike in Somalia Targets Al-Qaeda Figure
By Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 9, 2007; Page A01
A U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship attacked suspected al-Qaeda members in southern Somalia on Sunday, and U.S. sources said the operation may have hit a senior terrorist figure.
The strike took place near the Kenyan border, according to a senior officer at the Pentagon. Other sources said it was launched at night from the U.S. military facility in neighboring Djibouti. It was based on joint military-CIA intelligence and on information provided by Ethiopian and Kenyan military forces operating in the border area.
It was the first acknowledged U.S. military action inside Somalia since 1994, when President Bill Clinton withdrew U.S. troops after a failed operation in Mogadishu that led to the deaths of 18 Army Rangers and Delta Force special operations soldiers.
Sources said last night that initial reports indicated the attack had been successful, although information was still scanty.
The US has had a presence in the Horn of Africa since 2002, and tried to assist the current Somali government late last year.
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