Bloomberg September 15, 2009
Al-Qaeda Operative Killed in Somalia Raid, U.S. Says
By Viola Gienger
Sept. 15 (Bloomberg) -- An al-Qaeda operative wanted by the FBI was killed in an American commando raid in Somalia, a U.S. official confirmed.
Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, sought for questioning in attacks on a hotel and an airliner in Mombasa, Kenya, in 2002, was killed in the raid, the official said on condition of anonymity. U.S. special forces commandos retrieved his body and are no longer on the ground, the official said.
The raid is the latest in a string of attacks on terrorists in the country which has been without a functioning central government for about 18 years. The U.S. sent a military force into Somalia between 1992 and 1994 to protect United Nations troops attempting to guarantee security for aid to a starving population. Twenty-seven U.S. military personnel died during that intervention as a result of hostile action, according to the GlobalSecurity.org. Web site.
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation lists Nabhan, 30, on its Web site, saying he “should be considered armed and dangerous.” The posting identifies Mombasa as his birthplace.
The raid highlights the U.S. government’s concern that the chaos in Somalia, which has been linked to piracy off the coast in the past year, is creating a haven for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Somalia is in its 18th year of civil war and hasn’t had a functioning central administration since the ouster of Mohamed Siad Barre, the former dictator, in 1991.
Islamist Groups
Islamist groups including al-Shabaab and the Hisb-ul-Islam movement have gained control of most of southern and central Somalia in their bid to oust President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month during a visit to Kenya that Sharif’s government represents the “best hope” for a return to stability in the country.
The U.S. has accused al-Shabaab, whose full title is Harakat al-Shabaab Mujahedeen, of providing a haven and logistical support to al-Qaeda. The terrorist organization led by Osama bin Laden said in a March audio message that it aims to establish a caliphate, or Islamic government, in Somalia.
Special operations forces conducted the raid yesterday using helicopters, with the assistance of the U.S. Navy, the official said.
The New York Times reported in March 2008 that Nabhan was the target of a U.S. military raid in Somalia. The U.S. fired at least two Tomahawk cruise missiles from a submarine that hit their targets, the newspaper reported, citing an unidentified U.S. military official.
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