By GEORGE GEDDA
Thursday, March 29, 2007
The report, submitted to key congressional committees, said several al-Qaida operatives have used Somalia as a base of operations, including the perpetrators of the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in East Africa and the 2002 attacks against an Israeli airliner and a hotel in Kenya.
"The individuals pose an immediate threat to both Somali and international interests in the Horn of Africa," the report said.
The report, mandated by Congress, was submitted to the committees by President Bush.
The study makes clear that Somalia remains a major security concern despite the ouster of a radical Islamic group that had taken control of Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia last year. The so-called Union of Islamic Courts was driven from power by Ethiopian troops and forces loyal to a U.N.-backed government.
Insurgent activity continues to plague Mogadishu. Somali and Ethiopian troops pounded rebel positions in the capital on Thursday.
American counterterrorism concerns are directly related to the presence of al-Qaida and affiliated jihadists and individuals willing to harbor them, the report said.
"We will therefore take strong measures to deny terrorists safe haven within Somalia," the study said.
The United States has looked with concern at Somalia for years, seeing it as a fertile ground for terrorists because of the absence of an effective government to combat them.
The report said the United States will continue to work with other countries "to counter the threat of terrorism and eliminate Somalia as a safe haven and platform for terrorists."
Countries cooperating with the United States in counterterrorism activity in the region include Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia.
The report noted that Uganda has offered to send 1,500 troops to Somalia, permitting Ethiopian troops to withdraw while preventing the creation of a security vacuum.
The United States also is providing $40 million in new assistance to Somalia, including $16.5 million in humanitarian assistance and $24 million in reconstruction and development assistance.
Source: AP, Mar 29, 2007