*** BREAKING NEWS ***
NBC: U.S. strike targets al-Qaida in Somalia
AC-130 gunship reportedly fires on ’98 East Africa embassy bombs suspects
NBC News and news services
Updated: 9:03 p.m. ET Jan 8, 2007
WASHINGTON - A senior Pentagon official confirmed for NBC News Monday that a U.S. gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia. It was not immediately known whether the mission was successful.
The U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al-Qaida suspects were believed to have fled from the capital, Mogadishu, CBS News reported.
The AC-130 is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second.
U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaida operatives, they would pass it on to the United States.
The operatives are believed to be responsible for the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which left 241 people dead, as well as 2002 attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya and the attempted downing of an Israeli aircraft the same day.
The Ethiopian military swept into Somalia last month and removed the Islamic government that had reputedly harbored al-Qaida operatives.
The leader of al-Qaida's East Africa cell is named Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, NBC’s Robert Windrem reported.
It is not known if Mohammed, 31, was the target of the attack, but he has been the most targeted al-Qaida operative in Africa for nearly a decade. He is most commonly known as Harun Fazul. He is fluent in English, French, Arabic and Swahili.
Mohammed has been indicted in the United States in connection with the Aug. 6, 1998, embassy bombings.
The United States has established a reward of $5 million for information leading to his capture.
This breaking story will be updated.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531987/
NBC: U.S. strike targets al-Qaida in Somalia
AC-130 gunship reportedly fires on ’98 East Africa embassy bombs suspects
NBC News and news services
Updated: 9:03 p.m. ET Jan 8, 2007
WASHINGTON - A senior Pentagon official confirmed for NBC News Monday that a U.S. gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia. It was not immediately known whether the mission was successful.
The U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al-Qaida suspects were believed to have fled from the capital, Mogadishu, CBS News reported.
The AC-130 is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second.
U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaida operatives, they would pass it on to the United States.
The operatives are believed to be responsible for the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which left 241 people dead, as well as 2002 attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya and the attempted downing of an Israeli aircraft the same day.
The Ethiopian military swept into Somalia last month and removed the Islamic government that had reputedly harbored al-Qaida operatives.
The leader of al-Qaida's East Africa cell is named Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, NBC’s Robert Windrem reported.
It is not known if Mohammed, 31, was the target of the attack, but he has been the most targeted al-Qaida operative in Africa for nearly a decade. He is most commonly known as Harun Fazul. He is fluent in English, French, Arabic and Swahili.
Mohammed has been indicted in the United States in connection with the Aug. 6, 1998, embassy bombings.
The United States has established a reward of $5 million for information leading to his capture.
This breaking story will be updated.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531987/
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