Posted on 01/08/2007 3:53:36 PM PST by Rose in RoseBear
Edited on 01/08/2007 4:00:49 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
(CBS/AP) A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively.
The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa, Martin reports. The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say a lot of bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as yet, no confirmation of the identities.
The gunship flew from its base in Dijibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia, Martin reports, where the al Qaeda operatives had fled after being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.
Once they started moving, the al Qaeda operatives became easier to track, and the U.S. military started preparing for an air strike, using unmanned aerial drones to keep them under surveillance and moving the aircraft carrier Eisenhower out of the Persian Gulf toward Somalia. But when the order was given, the mission was assigned to the AC-130 gunship operated by the U.S. Special Operations command.
If the attack got the operatives it was aimed at, reports Martin, it would deal a major blow to al Qaeda in East Africa.
Meanwhile, a jungle hideout used by Islamic militants that is believed to be an al Qaeda base was on the verge of falling to Ethiopian and Somali troops, the defense minister said Monday.
While a lawmaker had earlier told The Associated Press that the base was captured, Somalia's Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire said troops had yet to enter it and that limited skirmishes were still ongoing, though troops were poised to take the base.
Ethiopian soldiers, tanks and warplanes were involved in the two-day attack, a government military commander told the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Shire said there had been heavy fighting with high numbers of casualties.
"There are a lot of casualties from both sides," he said, declining to give details.
Residents in the coastal seaport of Kismayo, some 90 miles northeast of Ras Kamboni, said they saw wounded Ethiopian soldiers being loaded onto military helicopters for evacuation.
"I have seen about 50 injured Ethiopian troops being loaded onto a military chopper," said Farhiya Yusuf. She said 12 Ethiopian helicopters were stationed at the Kismayo airport.
Somali officials said the Islamic movement's main force is bottled up at Ras Kamboni, the southernmost tip of the country, cut off from escape at sea by patrolling U.S. warships and across the Kenyan border by the Kenyan military.
In Mogadishu, Somalia's president made his first visit to the capital since taking office in 2004. During the unannounced visit, President Abdullahi Yusuf was expected to meet with traditional Somali elders and stay at the former presidential palace that has been occupied by warlords for 15 years, government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said.
U.S. officials warned after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that extremists with ties to al Qaeda operated a training camp at Ras Kamboni and that al Qaeda members are believed to have visited it.
Three al Qaeda suspects wanted in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa are believed to be leaders of the Islamic movement. The Islamists deny having any links to al Qaeda.
Somalia's government had struggled to survive since forming with backing from the United Nations two years ago, and was under attack by the Islamic militia when Ethiopia's military intervened on Dec. 24 and turned the tide.
But many in predominantly Muslim Somalia resent the presence of troops from neighboring Ethiopia, which has a large Christian population. The countries fought two brutal wars, the last in 1977.
On Sunday, gunmen attacked Ethiopian troops, witnesses said, sparking a firefight in the second straight day of violence in the capital, Mogadishu.
Les Aspen was the one who made that decision.
Me Too.
Sweet dreams of skinny little al-qaida butts being chased down by our aircraft is better then any sleep aide on the market.
Hey! I like my bird too much to use that garbage. ;-)
Slow? Are you kidding? They can turn on a dime in tight quarters. I saw a demonstration video when I was in the Army that made me admire the hogs. If I was a tanker and saw one of those bad boys in the sky, I'd park my tank and make haste in the opposite direction!
We already have: Warthog strafing run
LOL. Print side down, then.
I'm praying that Bush announces something completely different than what the MSM is saying Wednesday night.
I'm ready for some big time payback.
Yesterday, Pelosi was threatening to cut military funding .
She demanded that President Bush justify any new missions and she slammed the blank check that the Republicans gave to the military.
This sounds like one of those nasty new missions funded by that horrible Republican blank check.
When Congress returns from their BCS Championship break-Pelosi will most likely demand that the Democrats pull funding for the C-130...because it scares children.
KumbuyFREAKIN Ya!
Howdy, Peach!
Seriously, I get your point and I agree with you.
Cool! I hadn't seen that before.
Shep Smith on FNC reported it....
Was it an A-10 or the newer version/number? My stepson trained on A-10's and we went to every parent's day at the base and they are slow as can be. Maybe they turn quickly, but they move pretty slowly in general, especially compared to other aircraft. They're tank killers though :-)
Don't know what the media is reporting, so I'll listen sans the spin. Whatever he says, its obvious that we have been pushing harder in Iraq as of late.
That's exactly what I'm hoping for...a big fat surprise.
Let's really take the starch out of Nancy's party!!
He doesn't follow directions too well, does he? lol
Why dont we use an AC-130 gunship on a few targets in Sadr City portion of Baghdad. A few runs of this aircraft and Baghdad would dissarm most insurgents except for the most virulent of Jihadi's who are just looking for a ticket to their 72 virgins.
Hey. This makes me sick to my stomach.
And if you read Mark Steyn's America Alone, you'll know just how this could easily be reality in the next 20-30 years.
Sweet ... more dead muslims.
Hehehe. We were just talking about that over dinner. I'm ready for big time payback and war. Real war -- not worrying about what the sissyboys are saying in DC.
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