Backing Ethiopia in the Global Jihad

BREAKING: The U.S. military strikes suspected al Qaeda targets in Somalia, a senior Pentagon official tells CNN. Woot!

-UPDATE: Remember Black hawk down? This ain't Bill Clinton they're up against. A U.S. gunship has conducted a strike against two suspected al Qaeda operatives in southern Somalia.

The U.S. Air Force plane, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al Qaeda suspects were believed to have fled from the capital Mogadishu, U.S. networks reported.

The two suspected al Qaeda operatives were not named but CBS News said one was a suspect in the car bomb attacks on the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the other was the Islamist group's senior leader in East Africa.

The report said many bodies were seen on the ground after the attack by the AC-130 gunship, but the identities of the dead were not confirmed. More here

Previous related: Atlas Shrugs: Ethopia: Frontline on Islamic Jihad
Atlas Shrugs: ISLAMIC TROOPS FLEE SOMALIA

MEMRI:  Somali Journalist on the Union of Islamic Courts: "The Nightmare is Over"

UPDATE 1/9/07: Strategy Page :SOMALIA:  The Great Chase

January 9, 2007: For the last few days, Ethiopian and Transitional Government troops have captured Ras Kamboni, a small port near the Kenyan border. This place has long been an Islamic Courts stronghold and training camp. American warships are off the coast some 22 kilometers, in international waters, checking any boats trying to leave Somalia. With the Islamic Courts smashed, the most organized and dedicated fighting force in the country is gone. But not completely, most members of the Islamic courts are still around, and will revive the organization in the next few months. They will be opposed by a stronger Transitional Government. Both organizations rely on the allegiance of  clans for their power, and clans will often go with one side or the other, depending on which side traditional enemy clans have joined. The Ethiopians are not going to stick around, as they are ancient enemies of the Somalis, and are much hated in Somalia. Besides, all the Ethiopians wanted to do was knock the Islamic Courts down a few notches. The Ethiopians know they might have to come back and do in again in a year or so, but they've been slapping down the Somalis for centuries.

American Special Forces are helping in the hunt for known al Qaeda members who have been seen in Somalia in the last few months. Many captured Islamic Courts fighters tell of Arab, and other foreigner, fighters who have been helping them. The bodies of some of these foreigners have been found. The "foreigners" do not appear inclined to be taken alive.

Comments

[Gary]

I hope very much that they managed to capture those two. It would be a grand kick in the teeth to the jihadists and all those around the world who cheer them on.

[allen]

Ace is reporting:
"Update: Jamil Hussein reports that 400 people, mostly women, children, and adorable ponies, were killed in the botched attack."
Ace of Spades
There is no word on the number of mosques wantonly destroyed by the evil crusaders.

[Steve Harkonnen]

I'm willing to bet there's much more coming than the C-130 gunship attack. The US and Ethiopia's government are probably trading intel feeds. I wish them well in their endeavors to get rid of the Islamist thugs.

[gcblues]

capture??? lol. the ac130 captures nuttin. with flr infared night sighting, plus gattling gun, a deck gun and howitzer all puter controled it circles slowly high above as a converted prop c130, referred to as ac130 spectre, it eliminates anything in its sights. eliminate, like exlax. puff, its gone. its nick name is puff. like ...puff u r gone. send puff. puff that. puff puff. do a google video search and puff a few jihadists. a lot of bz virgins trying to educated some dumb smelly jihadists tonite

[C Max]

Ethiopia's army is the hammer, and our Navy and Air Force is the anvil. These guys ain't gonna move into Kenya and cause more trouble there, and they're not going to hop into boats and get through that way either.

And, they aren't going to be taken to GTMO; nor brought here so they can be offered scholarships to Harvard.

So, my guess is, they're pretty much fucked.

[clyde]

The C-130 that did the damage is the updated Vietnam-era "Puff, the Magic Dragon" airplane loaded to the gills with armament. I read once that it's 2,000 rounds per minute Gatling guns could kill a rabbit on a football field in under a minute. Nowhere to hide. Wake up the virgins. Especially Roy, Joe and Billy.