US army special forces formed anti-terrorism units and are training for missions in Somalia, The Washington Times reported on Tuesday. But as of last week, the U.S. lacked sufficient information on al-Qaeda to start a mission inside the impoverished east African country.
Senior administration official was quoted by the newspaper as saying that green berets in the 5th special forces group have practiced missions against terrorist compounds. They were also briefed on Somalia’s warlords who might protect members of al-Qaeda network.
But the inaction, to date, in launching strikes against targets outside Afghanistan pinpoints the challenges the Bush administration faces in its war against terrorism: the targets have become smaller, more scattered and harder to isolate, said the report.
There are about 3,500 Green Beret. The 5th special forces, based in Kentucky, provided most of the special forces who are operating today inside Afghanistan.
Most of the U.S. action in Somalia since Sep. 11 has come in the form of stepped-up satellite and aerial surveillance to keep an eye on suspected al-Qaeda training camps and meeting places.
The navy has stationed warships off the coast to intercept any of bin laden men trying to flee across the Arabian sea in tramp freighters to Somalia where they could regroup the al-Qaeda training network.
A possible target in Somalia is a group called the Ittihad Islamyay, Islamic unity, believed to have ties with Bin Laden himself. President Bush named it in September as one of 27 groups that finance terrorist activities. (Albawaba.com)
