dagblog - Comments for "U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader"

Libyan al-Qaeda suspect to

artappraiser — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 20:08:44 +0000

In reply to U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader

Libyan al-Qaeda suspect to appear in court in New York
By David Ingram, Reuters, Oct 14, 2013

An alleged senior al Qaeda figure captured in Libya by U.S. special forces this month has been transferred to the United States and will face charges in court in New York, U.S. officials said on Monday

The Libyan, Nazih al-Ragye, better known as Abu Anas al-Liby, is a suspect in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed 224 civilians.

He was seized by a U.S. Army Delta Force squad on the streets of Tripoli on October 5 and whisked onto a Navy ship in the Mediterranean Sea where he was questioned by a team of interrogators.

He was handed over to U.S. civilian law enforcement over the weekend and brought directly to the New York area, said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, the chief federal prosecutor for Manhattan.

Al-Liby is expected to appear before a judge on Tuesday [.....]

Although I lean towards

Aaron Carine — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 23:02:59 +0000

In reply to U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader

Although I lean towards abolishing the U.S. military, as long as we have armed forces, nailing Al Qaeda and its affiliates is a legitimate use of them.

However, I would rather we had tried to extradite the Libyan instead of kidnapping him.

Libyan militant wanted by US

artappraiser — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 00:20:10 +0000

In reply to U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader

Libyan militant wanted by US nabbed in Tripoli
By ESAM MOHAMED, Associated Press, October 5, 2013

TRIPOLI, Libya — Gunmen in a three-car convoy seized an al-Qaeda leader connected to the 1998 embassy bombings in eastern Africa and wanted by the U.S. for more than a decade outside his house Saturday in the Libyan capital, his relatives said. His capture, if confirmed, would be the latest blow to al-Qaida, which has seen its leadership consistently targeted since the death of Osama bin Laden.

Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, is believed to have returned to Libya during the 2011 civil war that led to the ouster and killing of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

His brother, Nabih, said the 49-year-old was parking outside his house early Saturday after dawn prayers, when three vehicles encircled him, smashed the car’s window and seized his gun before grabbing him and fleeing. The brother said el-Libi’s wife saw the kidnapping from her window and described the abductors as foreign-looking armed ‘‘commandos.’’

Al-Libi is on the FBI’s most-wanted list with a $ 5 million bounty on his head. He was indicted in the Southern District of New York, for his alleged involvement in the bombings of the United States Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998 [....]

Shabaab claims it 'repelled'

artappraiser — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 00:10:13 +0000

In reply to U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader

Shabaab claims it 'repelled' raid by Western special operations forces
By Bill Roggio, Long War Journal, October 5, 2013

Al Qaeda's affiliate in East Africa claimed it repelled a nighttime raid by Western special operations forces in the southern Somali coastal town of Barawe. The location of the purported raid is the same town where a top al Qaeda and Shabaab commander was killed by US special operations forces four years ago.

"Local witnesses reported on VOA Somali Service that unidentified foreign troops 'came from the coast with boats and helicopters' and raided a house in Barawe around 2am local time Saturday morning," according to Garowe Online.

Shabaab's military spokesman, Sheikh Abdulaziz Abu Musab, confirmed the report and said that his fighters "repelled" the attack.

"We fought back against the white infidel soldiers with bombs and bullets, and they ran back to their boats," he said according to Garowe Online. "One member of Al Shabaab was killed and the white infidel soldiers failed their mission. We found blood and equipment near the coast in the morning."

Fighting between Shabaab forces and the unidentified Western troops lasted for more than an hour, Abu Musab claimed.

US Navy SEALs carried out the raid in Barawe which targets a senior Shabaab commander, according to The New York Times. It is unclear if the commander was killed in the raid [....]

The New York Times coverage

artappraiser — Sun, 06 Oct 2013 00:01:41 +0000

In reply to U.S. military forces strike in Libya and Somalia; Navy SEALs launch raid on Al-Shabaab leader

The New York Times coverage so far:

U.S. Captures Qaeda Leader Linked to 1998 Bombings

By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK 5:06 PM ET

Ending a 15-year manhunt, American forces captured a leader of Al Qaeda known as Abu Anas el-Liby, who was indicted in the 1998 bombings of the embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, United States officials said.

U.S. Says Navy SEAL Team Stage Raid on Somali Militants

By NICHOLAS KULISH and ERIC SCHMITT 4:57 PM ET

The operation came in response to a deadly attack by Somali militants on a Kenyan mall. Such operations by U.S. forces are rare, indicating that the target was a high priority.