Somalia Air Strike Draws Counter Attack

An air strike in Somalia on Thursday, which insurgents blamed on the United States, killed at least 10
people, including Al-Qaeda’s military leader in the war-torn country, a rebel spokesman and residents said. The militant leader was named as Moalim Aden Hashi Ayro who had trained with
Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, had been linked to the deaths of foreign aid workers, and officials said had been one of the targets of a U.S. air strike in 2007.

I've long argued that U.S. air strikes at suspected terrorists in Somalia ultimately will only destabilize the country. Now, in the wake of Thursday's air raid, Somali insurgents from the Al Shabab group have targeted the African Union peacekeepers (pictured) that represent the country's best hope for peace:

"Al
Shabab spokespersons held a press conference over the phone this morning with local radio stations in which they vowed they would retaliate against the attack," Alex Strick van Linschoten blogs from Mogadishu. "It makes working in Mogadishu just that little bit more difficult … "

In retaliation [for the attack, Al Shabab representatives said], “the mujahideen of al-Shabab and their leader Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr will double their acts for the sake of God and their jihad. And jihad is bigger than the actions of just one person.”

Sure enough, the first retaliation occurred today:

40
minutes ago (at around 10:30 Somali time) in fact there was the first sign of this in a roadside bomb attack against a 3-vehicle convoy of
African Union troops on the road from the airport into town. There were no deaths and no injuries, but there is now a relatively sizeable hole in the road.

Obviously, we want our armed forces to take out Al Qaeda types wherever possible. But sometimes, in a global counterinsurgency like the one we're in now, whacking an enemy isn't always the smartest maneuver.

(Photo: me)