US air strikes in Somalia

[drunken monkey]

I'm not the most qualified to make comments in these areas but does anyone see something wrong in the US air strikes in Somalia?
As soon as Saddam Hussein is executed, what do they do? Send in a bunch of planes to blow the shit out of another country because they MIGHT be harbouring 3 suspects for a US embassy bombing and POSSIBLE Al Qaeda connections.
Well, at least this time, it's something to do Al-Qaeda, right?


Loks like they still haven't figured out that what is really needed, is to sort out the terrorists on US soil before taking on the rest of the world. Of course, it's not easy to justify deploying an air strike on your own country and heck, who really cares about Somalia...

Three reports from 3 countries:
cnn
cbc
bbc

[YogsVR4]

Air support for Ethiopia and Somalia to blow the shit out of al-Qaida (ringleader or not) sounds like good news to me.

[03cavPA]

Maybe it's time for some of these countries to start giving up the terrorists hiding within their borders.

[ericn1300]

Good intellegince, good hits.... made my day. Somalia has no law and no one to standup to Al Quada. And it beats the hell of invading the country. I like it, instead of trying to defend ourselfs against the ignorant suicidal bombers and insurgents, get back to popping off the leaders that are the cause of the problem.

[VR43000GT]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

I'm not the most qualified to make comments in these areas but does anyone see something wrong in the US air strikes in Somalia?
As soon as Saddam Hussein is executed, what do they do? Send in a bunch of planes to blow the shit out of another country because they MIGHT be harbouring 3 suspects for a US embassy bombing and POSSIBLE Al Qaeda connections.
Well, at least this time, it's something to do Al-Qaeda, right?


Loks like they still haven't figured out that what is really needed, is to sort out the terrorists on US soil before taking on the rest of the world. Of course, it's not easy to justify deploying an air strike on your own country and heck, who really cares about Somalia...

Three reports from 3 countries:
cnn
cbc
bbc

Nope, I am pretty much with everyone else on this. And as shocking as it is, I think the US intelligence had more insight on this than the media.

[BNaylor]

Maybe if our allies such as the UK and other countries did a better job of intelligence and taking action against their own citizens that are suspected or known terrorists the U.S. would not have to take such provocative action.

The terrorists can run but they cannot hide. The U.S. has every right regardless of world opinion and anti-American sentiment to go after these murderers. Better to do it there than on U.S. soil. Regardless, justice must be served.

The UK Foreign Office is currently investigating reports that Britons are among those killed in the fighting after Somali officials said they had found a variety of international passports on the bodies of dead Islamist fighters.

[drunken monkey]

it's not the intention behind the action that I find as "wrong"; it is more the way it seems to be done. It seems like things are done on impulse and the addition of recent events (execution, air strike, 20,000 extra troops) seems a bit too calculated.
There is a sense that things were done in that order as a means to justify 20,000 extra troops being deployed. I mean, 15 years of no action in Somalia and then all of a sudden we have this?

Of course, we have no idea what intelligence was gotten before and things like this has to be kept as quiet as possible before the action but it all strikes me as a bit too convenient in terms of timing.
Incidentally, I find the british press's obsession of "looking for britons" a bit sickening too.

[Toksin]

I guess the US is a bit sceptical of sending troops into Somalia after last time..

You can go after terrorist cells til you're blue in the face. They're not structured organisations where killing the head will kill the snake. Kill one leader, another just takes their place.

[MonsterBengt]

I asked my friend Abdikarim (who's from Somalia) about this, weather his family is worried about someone down there or so, since he didn't come to school the day i heard about it on the radio. Though he said that he doesen't care much since all their relatives got the hell out of dodge when you guys entered Mogadishu. Most of them ran off to the US actually..

Sry if off topic.

[VR43000GT]

Originally Posted by MonsterBengt

I asked my friend Abdikarim (who's from Somalia) about this, weather his family is worried about someone down there or so, since he didn't come to school the day i heard about it on the radio. Though he said that he doesen't care much since all their relatives got the hell out of dodge when you guys entered Mogadishu. Most of them ran of the the US actually..

Sry if off topic.

I'm sorry but can you clear that part up?

[ericn1300]

Originally Posted by Toksin

I guess the US is a bit sceptical of sending troops into Somalia after last time..

You can go after terrorist cells til you're blue in the face. They're not structured organisations where killing the head will kill the snake. Kill one leader, another just takes their place.

seems that Al Quada are fleeing the city, thats when the air strikes happened, when they got them fairly isolated. and now i heard on the radio today that US commando teams are chasing the terrorists on the ground. the special ops learned a lot about chasing terrorists in Afganistan so i don't think it will be another "black hawk down" experience.

[drunken monkey]

That's just it, Al Qaeda isn't some massive structured organisation that most people imagine. With the exceptions of training camps, by and large they don't all huddle together, especially when they are hiding and on the run.
The reports say that they were after 3/5 men.
More than 3 men were injured and killed in the action and it is not known if any of the 3/5 were got.
Effect on the "war" against terrorism; next to none unless you count the number of people it now gives another reason to not like America.

[VR43000GT]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

Effect on the "war" against terrorism; next to none unless you count the number of people it now gives another reason to not like America.

Take a number and get in line.

[drunken monkey]

don't get me wrong, I know it's a tough situation to be in but, along with older things that have been suggested, such as Bush Jr's want to be remembered as a war president, this just seems like another pointless action taht serves his own needs, when there are better things to be done.
Again, I'm aware that 90% of what is being done, we don't know about but to me, that only highlights the need that for the 10% that we do know about, things have to be considered that little bit extra.

[VR43000GT]

Well, and that is your opinion. You can dislike the US and think this gives another reason to hate us so be it. It has already been explained why it was done but if you think it was just so Bush could go down as a "war president" then by all means think that. We are not going to try and change your mind if that is what you are set on. United States gives more charity than any other country. Even when looked at as a person who makes the same amount in another country as that same person in the US, that someone in the US is still more likely to give than that same person in (fill in the blank). And like you said, you may only know 10% of why this actually happend and what was truly going on in Somalia. So how do you know where this fits in the list of things that are important if you know very little in comparison to those who carried the mission out? We as a country try to give both through individualism and through government yet we also try and take down those who are a threat. That is plain and simple and sorry if you do not agree with us. Like I said before, it is your opinion, do with it what you want.