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Africa Horn
Somalia reports airstrike, possibly by US
2008-05-27
Airstrikes, possibly by U.S. planes, caused explosions in a remote area in southern Somalia, officials said Monday. There was no immediate information on casualties.

Buale town chairman Ibrahim Noleye said planes were heard flying nearby Sunday night, followed by two loud explosions that shook the ground. Buale is 255 miles southwest of the capital, Mogadishu. A U.S. military official said there was no information about U.S. planes activities in Somalia.
"Nope, didn't hear a thing."
Noleye said he had contacted officials in nearby villages, who told him by two-way radio that the planes had hit an area between Buale and another town called Sakow. He could not say who launched the airstrike Sunday night. But only U.S. aircraft have launched such strikes in Somalia in recent months. The Somali government does not have an air force. Ethiopian troops based in Somalia have not been reported to conduct airstrikes.
Maybe it was the Norweigans ...
I'm betting on Guatamalans.
"We saw a big light which followed hours of the sounds of planes, and then we heard two big explosions between Buale, where we are, and Sakow," Noleye told The Associated Press by telephone. The area is sparsely populated and used primarily for grazing livestock such as camel and goats. "We contacted some of our people on the ground and they confirmed that it was a(n) (air)strike," Noleye said, adding that soon afterward they lost radio contact.

Ali Bashi Ahmed, chairman of Fanole Human Rights Organization, also said he heard loud explosions, but did not know where they had occurred. Ahmed spoke by telephone from the port town of Kismayo, southwest of Buale.

Duale Ganane, a colonel and a commander of a local militia, said, "we saw a light just a second before three huge explosions in the jungle north of Buale."

Aid worker Hassan Mohamed, who asked that his agency not be identified, said: "the light was like a star falling to earth."

Former military officer Muhidiin Nur Salah said, "I think it was an unknown device because in my view point no one can see a missile coming."

American officials confirmed a U.S. airstrike on May 1 that killed Aden Hashi Ayro, the head of the military wing of Somalia's Islamists, along with 24 other people. Members of the military wing called al-Shabab, meaning "The Youth," have vowed to avenge his death.
Posted by:Fred

#4  Too bad it wasn't a well-coordinated attack on massed muslim extremists by 50 B-52s at midnight through total cloud cover. Otherwise, I'm not terribly thrilled.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2008-05-27 14:17  

#3  Yeah, Explosions in Somalia. That's a rare occurence. Musta been us...
Posted by: tu3031   2008-05-27 08:52  

#2  Could that have been a meteorite? Perhaps the twin sister of that black stone muslims are so fond of? Gee, that's very exciting, I think I'll convert!
Posted by: anonymous5089   2008-05-27 05:50  

#1  then we heard two big explosions

An Earth-shattering KABOOM? Perhaps Mars has launched a counter-attack in response to Operation Phoenix.
Posted by: SteveS   2008-05-27 00:45  

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