Perhaps al-Qaeda figured that the US had focused so much on the 9/11 attacks that it had forgotten about one of its earlier attacks on American assets. If so, the terrorists have just discovered that both elephants and donkeys have long memories in America. The US Air Force has attacked the UIC remnants fleeing the Ethiopian Army in southern Somalia, targeting at least two AQ leaders that masterminded two suicide-bombing attacks on American embassies in 1998:

A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively.

The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa, Martin reports. Those terror attacks killed more than 200 people.

The AC-130 gunship is capable of firing thousands of rounds per second, and sources say a lot of bodies were seen on the ground after the strike, but there is as yet, no confirmation of the identities.

The gunship flew from its base in Dijibouti down to the southern tip of Somalia, Martin reports, where the al Qaeda operatives had fled after being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.

The Ethiopians did us a big favor by dislodging the Islamists from Mogadishu. Once on the run, the US could bring all of its technological assets on line to track them, and the Air Force waited long enough for all of them to run into the trap. The Navy positioned the USS Eisenhower in the waters nearby Somalia just in case it finds even more targets to strike.

That hasn't stopped the Ethiopians, either. Their forces have surrounded an al-Qaeda base and may have overrun it by the time you read this post. Between the three forces, including those loyal to the Somalian transitional government, AQ in Africa is about to take a huge blow, perhaps even a fatal defeat.

It may have taken us a long time, but we do not forget. Let's hope that our attack took out these high-value targets and plenty of their followers to boot. (via Hot Air)

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» Spooky Finally Visits Somalia from Ed Driscoll.com
CBS/AP writes that "A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia":The targets included the senior al Qaeda leader in East Africa and an al Qaeda operative wanted for his involvement in... [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 8:17 PM

» But I Thought That The Somali Islamists Were The Peaceful Type! from Webloggin
The AP has an obvious agenda - one that is hell bent on injecting doubt with the United States justice department. Subsequently these stories leave an anti-U.S. taste in your mouth in one way or another. ... [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 8:23 PM

» http://drmelissaclouthier.blogspot.com/2007/01/al-qaeda-getting-hit-in-somalia.html from Dr. Melissa Clouthier
Justice in the Horn of Africa. [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 8:32 PM

» Al Qaeda Smackdown in Somalia from Suitably Flip
Drudge has the siren on for the occasion. [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 8:39 PM

» Somalia Watch: United States Attacking Al Qaeda Positions in Somalia from FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
MSNBC: Report: U.S. airstrike targets al-Qaida in Africa Action reported by helicopter gunship in southern tip of country A U.S. helicopter gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia, but it was not know... [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 9:10 PM

» Somalia is not a good place to hide from Don Surber
I hope no one was hurt. I hope every single target was killed instead. [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 9:43 PM

» Somalia is not a good place to hide from Don Surber
I hope no one was hurt. I hope every single target was killed instead. [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 9:44 PM

» CBS: U.S. Strikes Al Qaeda In Somalia from Bill's Bites
1stCav also notes: I feel pretty sure that the CBS boy got their nomenclature wrong on the 'thousands of rounds per second'. S/B 1,000's/minute [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 11:02 PM

» CBS: U.S. Strikes Al Qaeda In Somalia from Old War Dogs
1stCav also notes: I feel pretty sure that the CBS boy got their nomenclature wrong on the 'thousands of rounds per second'. S/B 1,000's/minute [Read More]

Tracked on January 8, 2007 11:04 PM

» DOING SOMETHING RIGHT: THE SOMALI RAID from Right Wing Nut House
US AC-130 gunships attacked some fleeing al-Qaeda members along the Somalia-Kenya border wreaking havoc, sowing confusion, and evidently killing several terrorists – including a possible al-Qaeda financier who may have assisted the bombers who d... [Read More]

Tracked on January 9, 2007 7:02 AM

» U.S. Strikes Al Qaeda In Somalia from Stop The ACLU
Hoo Yah! Kickin some bad guy butt! A U.S. Air Force gunship has conducted a strike against suspected members of al Qaeda in Somalia, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports exclusively. The targets included the senior al Qaeda l... [Read More]

Tracked on January 9, 2007 9:28 AM

» Terrorist Hunting in Somalia from A Blog For All
It looks like the US airstrikes against a group of al Qaeda terrorists may have yielded good results for everyone. If it pans out, then watch for these names to appear in the news as confirmed as killed or captured [Read More]

Tracked on January 9, 2007 7:59 PM