 | Original posted late yesterday, and this story is too good not to celebrate. |
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.
| 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 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.
| Puppies, kittens, baby ducks, fluffy bunnies, a few young brides, the usual lot... |
| They'll need tweezers, a sponge and lots of baggies |
"Sam, bring me the Multispecies DNA Test Kit™, we got jihadis mixed in with fluffy bunnies in these samples."
"Right away Dr. Quincy!" |
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 running away fleeing being chased out of the capital of Mogadishu by Ethiopian troops backed by the United States.
Once they started moving, the al Qaeda operatives became easier to track, and the U.S. military started preparing for an air strike, using unmanned aerial drones to keep them under surveillance and moving the aircraft carrier Eisenhower out of the Persian Gulf toward Somalia. But when the order was given, the mission was assigned to the AC-130 gunship operated by the U.S. Special Operations command.
| When you care enough to send the very best |
| Truly a Hallmark Moment®. |
If the attack got the operatives it was aimed at, reports Martin, it would deal a major blow to al Qaeda in East Africa. |