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SOMALIA: AL-SHABAB TO REACT AGAINST THE US AIR OPERATION September 15, 2009
Former spokesman of Somalia’s militant group Al-Shabab Sheik Mokhtar Robow Ali better known as ‘Abu-Mansor’ admitted that some of their top Islamist officers killed in yesterday’s US air strike on the country’s coastal town of Barawe giving threats of reprisal on the American interests.
Speaking to the local media, Ali said his group will never stop retaliating against what he called the US aggression on the Muslim people. “The Obama administration will regret to what it done to Somalia soil,” he added.
Soon after the air attack, the US intelligence sources confirmed that top Al-Qaeda operative linked to several terror attacks in east Africa was killed in the attack on the southern Somalia.
Saleh Ali Nabhan, 30, was born in Kenya and had been tied to attacks that included the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, according to the sources.
The government of Somalia welcomed the US air mission targeted on Al-Shabab basis in southern Somalia. “We are welcoming the hunting on the Al-Qaeda people in our country because they are killers and not welcomed here,” said Dahir Gelle, the information minister.
Ali declined to name the militant officials killed in the US air bombardment and said they are involving in wider investigation on the people led the attack on Al-Shabab strong hold.
“We believe there are local spies working for the Western governments and that could simplify such attack. We have to prevent against these figures and bring them before justice,” said Ali.
He added that they will continue the war against the government and its pack up African troops to defend the religion and the people off the foreign enemy.
Al-Shabab leaders in southern Somalia ordered their militia to shoot down any war plane seen over the air in the regions under their control.