U.S. forces strike in Libya, Somalia

[jakeXT]

Source: CNN

(CNN) - In two raids nearly 3,000 miles apart, U.S. military forces went after two high-value targets over the weekend. And while officials have yet to say whether the operations were coordinated or directly related, they show Washington's reach, capability and willingness to pursue alleged terrorists.

One operation took place Saturday in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, when U.S. forces captured Abu Anas al Libi, an al Qaeda leader wanted for his role in the deadly 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

In the second raid, a team of U.S. Navy SEALs in southern Somalia targeted a top leader of Al-Shabaab, which was behind last month's mall attack in Kenya. The SEALs came under fire and had to withdraw before they could confirm whether they killed their target, a senior U.S. official said.

...


The operations were carried out even as polls show Americans are skittish about U.S. military involvement in overseas conflicts. This means, Francona said, that others who might be in the U.S. government's cross hairs could have more reason to worry.


Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/05/world/africa/us-forces-africa-terrorist-raids/index.html

[ConcernedCanuk]

1. "others who might be in the U.S. government's cross hairs "

.
.
.

Wonder how it would work if the US put the homeless/needy in their own country in it's "crosshairs"?

Ya know , create jobs (other than bombing the shit out of other people's countries)

Feed the poor

House the homeless

silly stuff like that . . .

TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN CITIZENS FIRST!!



CC

[newfie11]

2. Agreed

But the MIC must be fed.

[Cal33]

7. And he still wants bipartisanship with those guys whose main

goal is to destroy him and the Democratic Party.

[EX500rider]

10. "TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN CITIZENS FIRST!!"

Killing terrorists who want to and have killed US citizens is part of taking care of your citizens.

[geek tragedy]

11. Taking out terrorists who seek to massacre Americans

is part of taking care of our people.

Your offended sensibilities are quite irrelevant to that calculus.

[ButterflyBlood]

33. what does this have to do with "bombing the shit out of other people's countries"?

There was no bombing mentioned in the AP.

[cosmicone]

3. We have to kill the terrorists

unfortunately, we are not killing enough in Pakistan starting with the head of its ISI and military.

[tavernier]

4. I don't have any problem with our country

continuing to take out leaders of terrorism who vocally vow to destroy us and have active training camps toward this mission. I think we can do this and feed the poor at the same time; trouble is, we end up fighting harder against the people who don't want us to feed the poor and take care of our own, as is happening in congress this very week.
I don't think it's a bad idea to show the world that we can TCB, even while taking care of a rodent problem in our own house.

[landolfi]

8. Exactly my thoughts, this is the new way to wage war

Say, aren't we at war with the Tea Party also?

[7962]

5. This shows the world that you WILL be found and dealt with

Much like the Israelis, it might not be next month or next year, but you'll spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder

[askeptic]

6. I guess all countries are now US territories

Seems the US has no compunction about taking anyone from any country. Since there are people here who have vowed the death of Iran, I guess it would be OK for Iranians to indict and then raid and kidnap people from the US and take them back to Iran, right? There are people here who are declared criminals in other countries, but we wouldn't tolerate a raid and kidnapping.

Too much American "exceptionalism" in this practice, and I believe it violates international law. Of course, only other countries can violate international law because the US is excepted from them.

[EX500rider]

13. Some "countries" like Somalia have no working..

....national police force....you can't just hand over a international arrest warrant and they'll pick em up...you have to do it yourself or allow a sanctuary where international killers and terror bombers will be safe. That sounds like a good idea to you?

[jakeXT]

16. Libya had a government....

Bin Laden Was Made A Wanted Man By Gaddafi

The first international warrant for his arrest was issued in April 1998 following a request not by the Americans or the Europeans, but by Colonel Gaddafi of Libya.

On March 16, 1998, five months before the al Qaeda bombings of the US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, the Libyan Ministry of Justice named Bin Laden as the main suspect in a double murder that had taken place in the Libyan town of Sirte four years earlier.

http://news.sky.com/story/853539/bin-laden-was-made-a-wanted-man-by-gaddafi

[EX500rider]

22. They did...

.....but then they had a revolution and now they don't so much but hopefully will in the future.

[askeptic]

31. Libya too - guess the same goes if we disagree with that country's gov't

...as long as they aren't well-organized or have nukes. Then whatever they do is OK, right?

[heaven05]

9. it's war

and consequences if you won't sit down and TALK it out. Wrong has been done by both sides in any conflict down through history. The idea of superior/inferior in any context has to be done away with. We are all human beings and there is enough room for all nationalities, religions and dare I say political ideologies(except rethug, just a joke ) on this planet. It's not as simple as that I know especially since we're dealing with something as complicated as the human mind and in some cases it's inability to reason in a peaceful manner. Just a fleeting thought as I read this OP.

[EX500rider]

14. You suggesting Al Qaeda just needs a good talk and maybe a hug?

And there is not room for "all" religions and ideologies.....Nazi's? Pol Pot's group back in control of Cambodia? Aztec sacrifice? Female castration? Waco and the religious child molesters? All those are not equal to other religions and ideologies to me.

[tabasco]

19. Reading comprehension doesn't seem to be your strong suit.

Try again, Sparky.

[EX500rider]

21. Nor yours....... n/t

[heaven05]

32. okay

my point was not well reasoned with qualification(s).oh boy, I didn't go there, you did. Fine you're entitled and I opened myself up to this type of response, with accusations, from you, no where close to being meant by me. Have a good one. geez

[Alamuti Lotus]

12. I sense somebody is hunting after that elusive 2nd Nobel Peace Prize

[jzodda]

15. Nice work! Keep taking them out

The one they grabbed in Libya was especially bad. Had a $5,000,000 bounty on his head. Killed hundreds of people in those embassy bombings. Now he can be tried in NY.

The operation off the coast of Somalia had the full cooperation of the AU force and the transitional government in Mogadishu.

These killers need to be taken out. Targeting malls and such- disgusting.

[Comrade Grumpy]

17. The Libyan government isn't happy with this assault on its sovereignty

Per the BBC:

A press release posted on an official Libyan government website read: "The Libyan government is following the news about the Libyan citizen wanted by the US government. Since we've heard, we have been in touch with the US government and have asked for clarification on this matter. The Libyan government is keen on prosecuting any Libyan citizen inside Libya, no matter what the charges are... the accused are innocent until proven guilty."

But who cares about things like sovereignty of weak states?

[EX500rider]

23. "But who cares about things like sovereignty of weak states?"

Apparently nobody?

If you can't keep pirates and terrorists from setting up camp in your own country then some one else will have to do it.

[Comrade Grumpy]

27. Well, that's richly ironic.

We helped overthrow the dictator Gaddafi who kept a lid on all that shit. Now we have to go in and clean up our own mess?

[joshcryer]

35. Gaddafi kept a lid on all that shit?

Then how did eastern Libya rise up?

Hint: the lid was cracked as soon as the arms depots, which the west, particularly the UK, France, and Russia, sold to Gaddafi.

No matter how you looked at it Libya was to undergo a civil war.

[geek tragedy]

24. When they prosecute the Benghazi attackers, such

concerns will be worth considering.

[Comrade Grumpy]

28. Have you ever heard the phrase "imperial hubris"?

Look in the mirror.

[geek tragedy]

30. No, it's called fighting terrorism.

The "leave the poor oppressed terrorists alone" approach you advocate is not a credible approach.

[joshcryer]

34. Few states would give up soverign interests to arrest belligerents.

This is highly uncontroversial. I remember when Libya was being bashed for not giving Saif Gaddafi over to the International Criminal Court...

Few states, likewise, would allow belligerents to roam free if they could stop them.

At least drones weren't used, frankly.

[Comrade Grumpy]

18. Let's hear it for the forever war!

[geek tragedy]

25. You're really upset that an AQ member got arrested

so he can be put on trial. Curious.

[Comrade Grumpy]

26. No, I don't like the idea of the US policing the world, apparently forever.

On this weekend:

We do a smash and grab on a Libyan citizen in Libya (apparently) without the consent of the government (such as it is).

We do an attempted assassination of a Somali thug in Somalia.

We get four soldier blown up in the forgotten theater of the forever war, Afghanistan.

The CIA is busily aiding and abetting the bloodshed in Syria.

And our drones are probably scouring the skies over Yemen looking for someone to kill.

I think we need to find something other than perpetual war. We have better things to do with our resources.

[geek tragedy]

29. Al Shahab is a military force that butchered American citizens

They are a lawful target of military force.

And cry me a fucking river about the fee-fees of the government that let the Benghazi attacks occur and then did nothing to arrest the perps.

Al-Libi attacked our embassies, we have every right to grab his terrorist ass wherever he's being sheltered.

[Kingofalldems]

20. Benghazi!

Benghazi!