'Black Hawk' General In Covert Ops With Warlord's Son

New York Post ^ | January 15, 2006 | Niles Latham

[RDTF]

A controversial U.S. general and a Somalian warlord whose father was responsible for the infamous "Black Hawk Down" violence in 1993 are now allies in the war against al Qaeda-connected fanatics in East Africa.

In an extraordinary set of circumstances, Lt. Gen. William Boykin, deputy undersecretary of defense, and warlord Hussein Farah Aidid, have been intimately involved in covert operations on the Horn of Africa that resulted in the rout of Islamic fanatics from Somalia earlier this month.

Boykin, who set up the current Somalia operation, commanded the Delta Force unit that lost 18 men in the notorious "Black Hawk Down" incident.

Aidid is the son of Mohammed Farah Aidid, whose 4,000-member militia battled U.S. troops and dragged the bodies of two U.S. soldiers through the streets of Mogadishu.

Boykin - who once got into trouble for making disparaging remarks about Muslims - was wounded during the 1993 clashes.

Hussein Aidid was a Marine reservist in the Gulf War. But he assumed control of his father's militia after the elder Aidid died in a 1996 gun battle and praised those who fought U.S. soldiers and desecrated their bodies.

But Aidid is now interior minister of the U.S.-backed Transitional Somali Government, which took power in the wake of this month's Ethiopian rout of the Islamic Courts, the al Qaeda-connected group that tried to establish a Taliban-style government in Somalia.

Intelligence sources told The Post that Aidid's powerful Habr Gedir clan has received covert funding and support from the United States for several months.

[RDTF]

was wondering when his name would re-emerge

[RDTF]

ping

[Pontiac]

It appears that your publication date is incorrect.

[RDTF]

yea yea smartie pants

[freepersup]

Turn the screw USA, and while Uncle Sam's at it, turn the dirt bags into worm food. Many, many, many covert operations continue to reap success around the world. Most of the time no one knows about it, partially due to a lack of embedded presstitutes (thankfully.) The alliance is a strange one, and the key actors make it so. I appreciate the good news post.

[Dog]

I have no problem with this....we have to get in bed with some unsavory characters sometimes to achieve a goal. Remember that old saying..

The enemy of MY enemy is my friend.

[docbnj]

I would like those murdering bastards to be our murdering bastards, instead of someone else's.

[IronJack]

the Delta Force unit that lost 18 men in the notorious "Black Hawk Down" incident.

The 18 men who were killed in "the Mog" during that incident were not all Deltas. They were Army Rangers, for the most part, along with Night Stalkers (the Blackhawk crews), and members of Delta Force.

[Parley Baer]

As far as I'm concerned Klintoon was fully responsible for those 18 deaths by the lack of support.

[VeniVidiVici]

Col. McKnight was at a function I attended for my son. What an awesome guy.

[Stonewall Jackson]

If we'd been able to put tanks and Bradleys into Somalia, then the rescue mission would have been a virtual cakewalk compared to what actually went down.

Over the past few years, I have spoken with a couple of Rangers who were there during this fight and they have both told me that they would have given anything to have a platoon of Abrams, Bradleys, or even some of the Marines' LAV-III's to provide cover and cover-fire.

[MonicaG]

I am pleased to hear this. Prayers for the good guys.