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The War Profiteers - War Crimes,
Kidnappings, Torture and Big Money |
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March 5th,
2008 - Anti-U.S. Protest After Somalia Raid |
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Anti-U.S. Protest After
Somalia Raid By Mohamed Olad Hassan The Associated Press March 5, 2008 Mogadishu, Somalia -
Hundreds of people shouted anti-American slogans Tuesday in a southern Somali
town that was hit a day earlier by a U.S. airstrike targeting an al-Qaida
terrorist linked to attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa. The protesters - mainly
women and children - took to the streets in Dobley shouting "Down with
the so-called superpower!" and "Down with their stooges!" Residents and police in
Dobley said at least eight people, including four children, were seriously
injured when a home was destroyed in Monday's attack. In Washington on Tuesday, a
Pentagon official and a U.S. law-enforcement official said the U.S. was going
after Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan when it launched at least two Tomahawk missiles
from a submarine off the coast of the East African nation on Monday. They said they had no
information on whether the attack succeeded. Officials believe Nabhan was
connected to the simultaneous August 1998 bombings of the American embassies
in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which killed more than 200
people and were blamed on al-Qaida. The U.S. military has staged
several attacks on suspected extremists in Somalia over the past year. The
Islamic movement, the Council of Islamic Courts, seized control of much of
southern Somalia, including the capital, Mogadishu, in 2006. But in early 2007, troops
loyal to the U.N.-backed interim Somali government and the allied Ethiopian
army defeated the Islamic group. The Islamic council now
appears to be re-emerging. The United States has repeatedly accused the
Islamic group of harboring international terrorists linked to al-Qaida. External link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2004261111_somalia05.html What is the Face of
Collateral Damage? Bombing Somalia By James Murren CounterPunch March 5, 2008 Two days ago we woke to the
news that the U.S. had bombed the town of Dhobley, Somalia near the border
with Kenya. According to a NYTimes report, three people were wounded and the
only casualties were livestock. Why did the U.S. bomb the
town? It was believed that a building in the town was being used by Al Qaeda
operatives for training purposes. And, it was believed that Saleh Ali Saleh
Nabhan, suspected to have played a part in the 1998 embassy attacks in Kenya
and Tanzania and a hotel attack in Mombasa in 2002, was in the building. The U.S. wanted to kill a
terrorist. The U.S. military is saying
the attack consisted of 2 Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine. Allafrica.com reported that
6 people were killed in the attack. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was not one of
them. The BBC reported that 6
civilians were killed and 20 were wounded. The AP reported that people
in the town talked of planes (AC-130s) flying over during and after the
attack. AC-130s were used in 2 air
strikes in Somalia in early 2007. Did 6 people die? Did only
livestock die? Was it 3 wounded or 20 wounded? Was it 2 missiles from a
submarine that were fired, or was it 2 missiles and maybe an AC-130 or two
that were involved in the attack? The U.S. used highly
sophisticated weaponry in an attempt to kill one man, a
"terrorist." They missed their target. The most powerful military
in the world shoots missiles at an impoverished village, hoping to kill a
single man. Certainly there are
suspected "terrorists" living in the U.S., Europe, and other
wealthy countries. Why not drop bombs on and shoot missiles at towns where
they are believed to be living in the West? Does collateral damage have
an income level? Does collateral damage have
a skin color? External link: http://www.counterpunch.org/murren03052008.html |