SEALs’ raid on al-Shabbab leader in Somalia
The New York Times reports that SEALs staged a raid on the sea-side villa of a senior leader of al-Shabbab which executed the raid on the Kenyan Westgate Mall a few weeks ago.
The SEAL team stealthily approached the beachfront house by sea, firing on the unidentified target in a predawn gunbattle that was the most significant raid by American troops on Somali soil since commandos killed Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, a Qaeda mastermind, near the same town four years ago.
The Shabab leader was believed to have been killed in the firefight, but the SEALS were forced to withdraw before that could be confirmed, a senior American official said. Such operations by American forces are rare because they carry a high risk, and indicate that the target was considered a high priority. Baraawe, a small port town south of Mogadishu, the Somali capital, is known as a gathering place for the Shabab’s foreign fighters.
I don’t know how smart a terror leader is if he has a “seaside villa” knowing that SEALs like to approach by sea.
There was some confusion as to exactly what happened before sunrise on Saturday. Witnesses described the SEAL team using silencers in the initial attack, but a loud firefight afterward. Before confirmation that an American SEAL team was behind the attack, a Shabab spokesman said British and Turkish forces were involved, which both countries immediately denied.
In related news, NBC says that the team of terrorists who attacked the Westgate Mall could have been much smaller than originally reported;
Based on reviews of security video from inside the mall, only four attackers have so far been seen.
Initial reports placed the size of the team that held off authorities for three days at nine to 12.
Still more attackers may be identified in addition to the four.
Two separate sources now say that the investigation shows no evidence of any white woman or any woman at all among the attackers.
Category: Terror War
They may have that because they honestly, if foolishly, believe they are beyond the reach of the SEALs or anyone else.
HooYah NSW SEAL and SWCC who pulled this off. Say a prayer and ley hope all is well with Team and families.
Was Wittenless on the raid? /s
BZ guys.
My thoughts are with these guys. Sounds like a tough fight… hope no one got hurt. Sounds like a rush job, if you know what I mean….
[…] Ain’t Hell has a number of great posts up including this one by Jonn on “SEALs’ raid on al-Shabbab leader in Somalia.” […]
I’m glad we’re giving them some justice. Prayers for the SEALs and everyone else on our side of the fight.
I wonder how long before America’s critics in the so-called “human rights” movement begin saying the raid was illegal or some such thing.
Pardon my cynicism, but does the timing just seem off or weird or something? Maybe just because the use of Special Forces in the past few years seems to be entirely politically motivated.
Hey! Hey! What’s the matter with you guys. The government is shut down, knock it off.
Evildoers multiply like roaches…SOCOM/JSOC won’t ever be short of work.
Can’t we just use that shithole of a place for bombing practice?
#8: OWB:
It’s reasonable to look at it that way, but I think Occam’s Razor makes me conclude the raid was non-political. Before that, President Obama’s use of drones P.O’d the leftbots. He’s capable of doing the right thing *sometimes* — although I suspect it’s only because he knows there’s real trouble afoot.
Even his plan to “close” Guantanamo was just a charade.
Pardon the innumeracy. That reply was meant for #7.
I knew stopping AFN from broadcasting football games and baseball playoffs would piss off some people.
@3 SJ
There’s a rumor that AJ Dicken, Dullass Gutlessfeld, and Zippy the Pinhead (Bill Blake of Bartlesfart, Oklahoma) were there, and saved the day.
Perhaps Green Thumb can confirm that. GT ??
BZ, shipmates! Hope and pray all are safe.
I do find it passing strange that we jumped to do something about the Kenya attack, but we’re still waiting for something to happen to avenge the death of our ambassador in Benghazi.
@ #8 Club Mgr: Sure it is. Was reading earlier today that in the neighborhood of 83, 85, or 87% of the workforce is still on the payroll. And that the money spent, additional debt accumulated etc is simply staggering at a rate slightly greater than what it was prior to the “shutdown.”
So, the occupier REALLY showed us, huh?
But, the SEALs will be SEALs whoever occupies the domicile.
@15 MC
“ambassador” ….. “Benghazi”.
“What difference, at this point, does it make”*
*Hillary
@15
Think administration got spooked:
Largest Somali population in U.S.– Minnesota
Largest shopping mall in U.S. — Minnesota
Ref NYT:
“The military may have pursued both targets simultaneously to avoid the possibility that news of one raid might spook into hiding the target of the other, or that a public backlash in one country might rattle the governments of the other into withdrawing its quiet cooperation.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/world/africa/Al-Qaeda-Suspect-Wanted-in-US-Said-to-Be-Taken-in-Libya.html
May just be speculating, but I thought that was interesting.
October 5, 2013: [NYTimes] “SEAL Team Stages Raid on Somali Militants.”
October 6, 2013: [Alex Jones] “False flag, false flag. They admit it was staged (something, something, Agenda 21 Secret Muslim).”
October 8, 2013: [Amazon] “No Easy Villa” is now available for download.
@18: True dat
When are they going to go after the scumbags that attacked our Consulate? I see that Obumbles has his priorities in line. I mean, he had to sit for a portrait the other day, and THAT’s a priority, ya know!
Did Barry lead this one too?
So how come they used SEALs for this, but couldn’t/wouldn’t protect the US embassy team in Libya?
Well, haven’t priorities changed since last year? Isn’t it more important to annoy the American people, including those who naively voted for bodaprez?
Hey – don’t you all know this is just another attempt at mimicking a stage magician’s distraction technique? The audience watched the right hand in the air while the left hand is busy doing the trick.
Except this time, ain’t working.
Try again, stupid.
This article about one of the few lefties willing to stand up to their fellow jihad supporters on the left, mentions Minnesota Somalis:
>> In Minnesota, she meets Said Salah Ahmed, a refugee educator and playwright, who “no longer feels comfortable writing a play to be produced for his own Somali community in Minneapolis.” Minnesota is home to the largest Somali community in the U.S., which has become a fertile recruiting ground for al Shabaab, the Somali branch of al Qaeda. Mr. Ahmed recalls being prevented from attending a Somali concert in Minneapolis by a censorious crowd “surrounding the theatre saying, ‘Don’t enter. You are paying your money with sin.'” <<
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323906804579037680196436884.html
So, there's at least one Minnesota Somali who's against the jihadists, but it looks like he's mostly just keeping his head down.
The article also mentions Moazzam Begg, British Islamist and former Gitmo resident, and his relationship with Amnesty Intl. Don't ever again let a member of Amnesty tell you they oppose torture. A few of them did protest Amnesty's jihadist links, but not nearly enough. Minnesota probably has more Somalis opposed to the jihad than Amnesty does worldwide, and that's a pretty meager number.
HooYah DER URG VED.
@14.
Difficult at this point.
As their PL Phildo is off the grid.