BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Strikes al-Qaida Targets in Somalia

AndyMarquisLIVE

AndyMarquisLIVE

New Member
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531987/

U.S. airstrike targets al-Qaida in Somalia

Action reported by helicopter gunship in southern tip of country

BREAKING NEWS​
NBC News and news services
Updated: 33 minutes ago​
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WASHINGTON - A senior Pentagon official confirmed for NBC News Monday that a U.S. helicopter gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia. It was not immediately known whether the mission was successful.

The U.S. Air Force helicopter, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al-Qaida suspects were believed to have fled from the capital, Mogadishu, CBS News reported.

U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaida operatives, they would pass it on to the United States.
The operatives are believed to be responsible for the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania as well as 2002 attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya and the attempted downing of an Israeli aircraft the same day.

The Ethiopian military swept into Somalia last month and removed the Islamic government that had reputedly harbored al-Qaida operatives.

This breaking story will be updated. Reuters and NBC News producer Robert Windrem contributed to this report.​
I think there's some sort of intelligence hinting at an attack between the scares today and the Miami stuff. There's something going on that the CIA and DHS is aware of.​
 
Pete

Pete

Repete
AndyMarquisLIVE said:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531987/

U.S. airstrike targets al-Qaida in Somalia

Action reported by helicopter gunship in southern tip of country

BREAKING NEWS​
NBC News and news services
Updated: 33 minutes ago​
<SCRIPT language=javascript> function UpdateTimeStamp(pdt) { var n = document.getElementById("udtD"); if(pdt != '' && n && window.DateTime) { var dt = new DateTime(); pdt = dt.T2D(pdt); if(dt.GetTZ(pdt)) {n.innerHTML = dt.D2S(pdt,((''.toLowerCase()=='false')?false:true));} } } UpdateTimeStamp('633038995340600000');</SCRIPT>
WASHINGTON - A senior Pentagon official confirmed for NBC News Monday that a U.S. helicopter gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia. It was not immediately known whether the mission was successful.

The U.S. Air Force helicopter, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al-Qaida suspects were believed to have fled from the capital, Mogadishu, CBS News reported.

U.S. officials say that the United States received assurances from both the Ethiopian and Somalian governments in the last two weeks that, should they obtain intelligence concerning the whereabouts of the al-Qaida operatives, they would pass it on to the United States.
The operatives are believed to be responsible for the 1998 bombings in Kenya and Tanzania as well as 2002 attacks on Israeli tourists in Kenya and the attempted downing of an Israeli aircraft the same day.

The Ethiopian military swept into Somalia last month and removed the Islamic government that had reputedly harbored al-Qaida operatives.

This breaking story will be updated. Reuters and NBC News producer Robert Windrem contributed to this report.​
I think there's some sort of intelligence hinting at an attack between the scares today and the Miami stuff. There's something going on that the CIA and DHS is aware of.​
Click to expand...
Psssst this happened 12 hours ago. MSNBC is a little late.
 
kwillia

kwillia

n/a
aps45819 said:
Heard on the news it was a C-130 gunship, the modern "Puff"
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<img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070109/2007_01_09t054713_450x281_us_somalia_conflict.jpg?x=380&y=237&sig=WRJqzJXh9A0VieP_qjYeTQ--">

An undated file photo shows an AC-130H Spectre gunship releasing flares. A U.S. attack plane killed many people with barrages of gunfire in a remote Somali village occupied by Islamists thought to be hiding at least one al Qaeda suspect, a Somali government source said on Tuesday.
 
rack'm

rack'm

Jaded
kwillia said:
<img src="http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20070109/2007_01_09t054713_450x281_us_somalia_conflict.jpg?x=380&y=237&sig=WRJqzJXh9A0VieP_qjYeTQ--">

An undated file photo shows an AC-130H Spectre gunship releasing flares. A U.S. attack plane killed many people with barrages of gunfire in a remote Somali village occupied by Islamists thought to be hiding at least one al Qaeda suspect, a Somali government source said on Tuesday.
Click to expand...


<img src="http://www.strategic-air-command.com/aircraft/attack/images/ac130_spectre.jpg">


The AC-130A was equipped with (2) 40mm cannons, (2) 20mm Vulcan cannons and (2) 7.62mm miniguns.
 
MMDad

MMDad

Lem Putt
aps45819 said:
Heard on the news it was a C-130 gunship, the modern "Puff"
Click to expand...
:lmao: Once again, MSNBC does a great job of reporting facts. They heard gunship, assumed it was a helicopter, and ran the story. They didn't even think of the fact that it is about an 1800 mile round trip. Not something you want to do in a "helicopter gunship."
:lol:
 
rack'm

rack'm

Jaded
<img src="http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/ac-130-15.jpg">

The AC-130 is an excellent fire support platform with outstanding capabilities. With its extremely accurate fire control system, the AC-130 can place 105mm, 40mm and 25mm munitions on target with first round accuracy.
 
desertrat

desertrat

0_0
MMDad said:
:lmao: Once again, MSNBC does a great job of reporting facts. They heard gunship, assumed it was a helicopter, and ran the story. They didn't even think of the fact that it is about an 1800 mile round trip. Not something you want to do in a "helicopter gunship."
:lol:
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Wouldn't the "helicopter gunship." have come from a carrier?
I might add:
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower arrived off Somalia's coast and launched intelligence-gathering missions over Somalia, the military said. Three other U.S. warships are conducting anti-terror operations off the Somali coast. CBS News.
 
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Ken King

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
MMDad said:
:lmao: Once again, MSNBC does a great job of reporting facts. They heard gunship, assumed it was a helicopter, and ran the story. They didn't even think of the fact that it is about an 1800 mile round trip. Not something you want to do in a "helicopter gunship."
:lol:
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Djibouti to Mogadishu is just under 600 nautical miles one way. Blackhawk's with air refueling could easily make the trip there and back. It would make for one long-ass sortie but it could be done.
 
MMDad

MMDad

Lem Putt
Ken King said:
Djibouti to Mogadishu is just under 600 nautical miles one way. Blackhawk's with air refueling could easily make the trip there and back. It would make for one long-ass sortie but it could be done.
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They said they were on the southern tip of Somalia, so add another 300 miles each way. I agree that it could happen, but like I said you wouldn't want to. Flying that far, low and slow, refueling frequently, over hostile territory. No fun.

But it's a moot point, since it was an AC-130 that was used.
But a U.S. government official said at least one AC-130 gunship was used. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the operation's sensitivity.
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desertrat

desertrat

0_0
MMDad said:
They said they were on the southern tip of Somalia, so add another 300 miles each way. I agree that it could happen, but like I said you wouldn't want to. Flying that far, low and slow, refueling frequently, over hostile territory. No fun.

But it's a moot point, since it was an AC-130 that was used.
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"On Tuesday unidentified helicopter gunships were seen launching new attacks, close to the scene of a U.S. airstrike aimed at the suspected terrorists."
Might not have been ours, but there were helos involved.
 
Ken King

Ken King

A little rusty but not crusty
PREMO Member
desertrat said:
"On Tuesday unidentified helicopter gunships were seen launching new attacks, close to the scene of a U.S. airstrike aimed at the suspected terrorists."
Might not have been ours, but there were helos involved.
Click to expand...
They could have been staged out of a FOB in Ethiopia or Kenya, come from a carrier, or flown in long-range with refueling. I suspect it was a combination of aircraft and helos doing these operations.
 
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