...his wife, some children in the neighborhood, the people next door...
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- A senior al Qaeda suspect wanted for bombing U.S. embassies in East Africa has been killed in a U.S. airstrike, a Somali official said, quoting an American report, as his government called for American ground forces to flush out any remaining extremists.
Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, one of the FBI's most wanted terrorists who has evaded capture for eight years, was killed in an airstrike early Monday morning time, according to an American intelligence report passed on to the Somali authorities...
"I have received a report from the American side chronicling the targets and list of damage," Abdirizak Hassan, the Somali president's chief of staff, told AP Wednesday. "One of the items they were claiming was that Fazul Abdullah Mohammed is dead."...
In Washington, a U.S. intelligence official said the U.S. killed five to 10 people [some newlyweds and at least one child included according to reports...dt] in the attack on a target in southern Somalia believed to be associated with al Qaeda. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation's sensitivity, said a small number of others present, perhaps four or five, were wounded.
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I hear that there's an Iranian criminal loose in Nebraska. I'm sure our country would gladly support Iran dropping a few bombs in Nebraska as long as it takes out that criminal.
Right?
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[I like posting with photos but was having some problem doing so from flickr. Anyone else using flickr and experiencing a problem?]
13 comments:
I use Picasa and had trouble yesterday. ????
It's asking me questions about the blogger upgrade (which I appear unable to do so far - I've tried to upgrade to the new blogger but it said I was among those not ready to do so yet...?), so I'm not sure that it's related to flickr. My guess would be that this is a blogger thing.
Obviously I just posted a photo a couple of days ago. I'll try again later.
A difference is this: If the Iranians alleged that there was someone wanted in Iran living in Nebraska, they could successfully petition the courts in Nebraska and have the criminal arrested, detained, and petition for extradition.
If the person were wanted in Iran for putting the Koran on the bookshelf the wrong way up or some such, they wouldn't get very far in our courts. But if he were wanted for murder and the Iranians showed that he was plotting further Iranian murders, he'd be handed over.
What prospects did the US have of a similar cooperation from Somalia?
Actually, Somalia's president is fully cooperative with Bush.
So it seems. But that doesn't answer the question.
The individual involved has long been identified as terrorist and wanted by the US. Yet he seemed to be able to move about Somalia and elsewhere with the cooperation of the people.
Now back to our Nebraska comparison. Would the people of Nebraska be actively hiding someone they knew was wanted by the authorities and invite him to a wedding?
Twould depend, I suspect. I hear abortion bomber Rudolph was able to hide so well in North Carolina (?) with the help of folk who knew he was there.
Eleutheros, this sort of bombing is just wrong. It's not okay to bomb an area and kill innocent folk just to get a bad guy. It's wrong.
And setting aside the morality of it for a moment, it's ill-advised. This sort of action will only exacerbate the problem, lend creedence to the "terrorists" claims that America is a rogue power and the great satan.
It's counter-productive even if you thought it moral.
Um, wrong. Al Queda respects only strength. They see bombings like these as a sign of resolve and a willingness to act. It's when we defer to courts and legal processes that they believe us weak. Just read what they write if you don't believe me.
Al Qaeda is a handful of cowards hiding behind terrorism. They should be treated as criminals they are and arrested. I'm not talking about them.
I'm talking about when others who would normally be with us in opposition to Al Qaeda begin to see some truth to what Al Qaeda has to say. We go around killing innocent people and suddenly we ARE the Great Satan. We ARE a rogue nation. We are setting ourselves above the law and as such are a threat.
Suddenly, we have made Al Qaeda's claims more legitimate. Given aid and comfort to the enemy. Worked as a recruitment tool for terrorists.
I'll state it again: These sorts of policies are backwards and ineffective. Claims to the effect that "Al Qaeda only respects strength" are ridiculous and missing the point (no offense, Eben). We ought not let terrorists direct our actions - and especially not allow them direct our actions into the deaths of innocents.
"It's when we defer to courts and legal processes that they believe us weak."
Do you really find the rule of law a sign of weakness?
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I'm talking about when others who would normally be with us in opposition to Al Qaeda begin to see some truth to what Al Qaeda has to say.
There is no such animal. There is no great swath of the Muslim world that would suddenly become ardently pro-U.S. if we'd just stop bombing terrorists. And if you listen to what Al Qaeda says, they don't rail against us for killing innocents, they speak of our secularism, our support of Isreal, and our presence in the Gulf. They have no regard for the death of civilians in any circumstance. That's the 'truth' in what they say.
Worked as a recruitment tool for terrorists.
I always love that line of reasoning. Take it to it's end we come to the point where killing any enemy, anywhere is a mistake because it just makes more of them. The only problem is that history is replete with examples of just the opposite. Kill enough of the enemy and he'll stop fighting you, that's the lesson history teaches us. That's the lesson Al Qaeda has learned and is using against us. And it's almost working, eh? The more they kill of us the more you want to stop fighting them. Yet you want us to believe it works the exact opposite on them?
We ought not let terrorists direct our actions...
So now we're killing terrorists at their direction?
No, we're killing terrorists because it's speaking in the only language they understand.
Do you really find the rule of law a sign of weakness?
No, but I'm not a religious fascist. Remember, they don't think like you do.
Here's another part of the same AP story:
There was no independent confirmation of his claim.
As always. Oh, and the old 'wedding party' trick again.
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