The Hindu : Front Page : U.S launches fresh attacks in Somalia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 10, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

U.S launches fresh attacks in Somalia

MOGADISHU: U.S. attack helicopters launched fresh air strikes on Tuesday in southern Somalia, targeting the suspected command centre of Al-Qaeda militants, a Somali Defence Ministry official said. The raid came a day after an AC-130 gunship hit at least two villages believed to be hideouts, killing "many" people, officials said.

The attack, by at least two helicopters, "was aimed at destroying the command and control facility of the terrorists," the Defence Ministry official told AFP. "Somali troops and Ethiopian forces will go to the area."

Ali Said Yusuf Mohamed of Afmadow, a town 416 km southwest of Mogadishu, said the two helicopters flew over and "dropped some bombs" on a nearby village. He could not identify the aircraft but the Defence Ministry confirmed they were U.S. military helicopters.

Many killed

Government officials said many died in Monday's attack by the gunship, an armed variant of the C-130 Hercules transport plane, designed for close air support.

"Many people were killed and I think the terrorists were eliminated," Information Minister Ali Jama told AFP. President Abdullahi Yusuf defended the raids, which came after the Somali Ayr sub-clan, believed to be sheltering the Al-Qaeda operatives, allegedly refused to the disclose the location of three suspects sought by Washington for attacks.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page