US Pentagon confirms Somalia air strike |
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Published
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Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:36
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WASHINGTON - A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that a US Air Force AC-130 fixed wing gunship conducted an air strike in southern Somalia Sunday against Al-Qaeda leaders.But Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman would not comment on reports from Somalia of a second attack reportedly involving helicopter gunships.'We acknowledge the fact that the United States military did conduct a strike in Somalia on Sunday,' said Whitman. 'The target of the strike we believe was the principal Al-Qaeda leadership in the region.'Whitman said the strike was conducted by an AC-130 gunship, a fixed wing aircraft equipped with rapid firing guns.Somali officials said the attack was carried out yesterday but the discrepancy between that and the Pentagon's assertion that it was conducted Sunday could be explained by differences in time zones.Pressed on reports from Somalia of a second attack involving helicopter gunships, which Somali officials said targeted a terrorist command and control facility, Whitman indicated they did not involve US forces.'I think I have described for you the operations the US military has conducted to date,' he said.Whitman would not say whether Sunday's US air strike had succeeded in killing any Al-Qaeda leaders, or identify the targets of the attack.He said the operation was prompted by 'credible intelligence that led us to believe we had principal Al-Qaeda leadership in an area where we could identify them and take action against them.'newsdesk@afxnews.comafp/cmrCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2006. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited
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