Somalis Protest Over US Bombing
Hundreds of women and children have marched through the Somali town bombed by the US on Monday, chanting anti-American slogans.
At least four civilians were reportedly killed but an Islamist spokesman said none of their fighters were hurt.
The US said the attack was aimed at a “known al-Qaeda terrorist” but has not said whether its goal was achieved.
Islamist insurgents seized Dhoble town last week and reports said a leader, Hassan Turki, had been in the area.
Mr Turki is on the US list of “financers of terrorism”.
The BBC’s Mohammed Olad Hassan in the capital, Mogadishu, says he has not been seen or heard from since the attack.
The Somali government has not yet commented on whether it gave the US permission to launch the air strike on its territory.
New strategy
One of the organisers of the protest in Dhoble told the BBC she feared that some people may still be trapped under the rubble of the buildings destroyed when three missiles landed on the town.
“We are complaining about the air strike by the superpower on civilians,” said Ruun Sheikh Mohammed, who runs a local women’s group.
There are reports that at least one of the blasts may have been caused by a cruise missile.
The town’s residents also say they could see US planes flying overhead - these could still be heard on Tuesday morning, they said.
The Islamists have reportedly been regrouping in the area in recent weeks.
Our reporter says the Islamists have adopted a new strategy of launching attacks outside the capital.
Islamist spokesman Sheikh Mukhtar Robow said the buildings destroyed had all been inhabited by civilians.
They were ousted from the capital, Mogadishu in December 2006 by government forces, backed up by Ethiopia, with some intelligence from the US.
Dhoble was the last town they held.
The US has an anti-terror task force based in neighbouring Djibouti and bombed the area a year ago.
The US accused the Somali Islamists of harbouring those responsible for the 1998 attacks on its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
The Islamists denied this, as well as reports they had links to al-Qaeda.
Somalia has not had an effective national government since 1991.
Last month, a senior UN official told the BBC that Somalia was the worst place in the world for children.
© 2008 BBC News
If Iran bombed my town, I’m sure its residents would be marching in the streets carrying anti-Iranian slogans. Hell, I might even be marching.
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that this administration’s goal is to create more terrorism to keep Halliburton and war profiteers in business. I know, quit laughing…
Somalia was becoming a peaceful state and refugees were beginning to return after the council of Islamist elders took over. But this apparently popular governement were not ‘our’ people and we enlisted the Ethiopians to support the military junta and invade and seize control from the Somalis.
US state of the art terrorism…
Isn’t that a war crime? Hey world! The superpower, along with Israel, is continuing to kill civilians, grandparents, woman and children. America’s leaders are incapable of wisdom or mercy. It’s a shame no one reins them in.
And yes, war profiteering and endless war is what the administration/military-industrial complex and the weapons industry wants.
Damn rights this is a war crime. The US and Israel are guilty as charged and it will be a great day when both these pathetic war mongering countries are reduced to colonialized serfs, which may happen sooner than later.
The witness said “people may still be trapped under the rubble of the buildings destroyed…” so US warplanes blew up a few buildings to get a bad guy that might be hiding in one of them?
So it’s ok to destroy a building as long as the “suspected terrorist” is inside? Well heck if that’s the case then why are we so upset about the WTC being demolished? I’m sure SOMEBODY in one of those buildings was a bad guy. So that makes it OK!
Better yet why not just nuke a whole city because somebody there might be a ‘terrorist’. Is it just me or is US foreign policy a complete crock?
The Lorax, we shouldn’t complain, according to the people in charge, as a suspect just might be killed in the bombing. What’s a few dozen, hundred, or even millions of people compared to a possible suspect’s possible location. Life is cheap, war is money $$$$$. Yee Haw!!
And we are backing Columbia in its cross-border aggression.
We are accusing venezuela and ecuador as upsetting peace of region by reacting strongly to Columbia’s illegal actions
What a great country!!!!
Hey spartacus; Just because Israel killed 18,000 people in a month, that does not mean they were wrong-that is only 600 a day-and as for machine gunning children, how else was Israel supposed to defend itself? “little fingers pull triggers”
The Bible clearly states that Jewish People were Chosen to reject The Messiah and Torture and Murder him.
And were further annointed Chosen.
ie Gentiles are less than.
And surely pali-dogs have no right to live.
I don’t mind not being Chosen, but imagine the gnashing of teeth and whining if one said Jews were less than-if this master race notion was reversed.
It’s called a hate crime then!
Another bunch of enemies of the U.S. created instantly.
Got Bombs - Get John - McCain 08. 100 years of more of the same.
Venezuela and ecuador accused by bush of provocations for complaining about a breach of ecuador’s territorial borders and meanwhile the US is attacking Somalia.
What a wonderful (Orwellian) world.
With the known track record of US foreign policy, involvement of this kind should always be viewed suspiciously. Word: quit bombing foreigner’s with my tax money. If it’s for the benefit of the mob that runs this place they should pay for it directly. Come on isn’t it breaking some sort of law to be raining down bombs on some foreign country that has never attacked you?
This bit of news just shows how insane our government has become. As if Iraq and Afghanistan isn’t enough, now the bloody destruction has spread to Africa (and Africa has plenty to answer for as well). Fighting and carnage has been going on in Africa for decades, so why stop now? This constant fighting just shows how inept all leaders throughout the world are, always bickering, killing, stomping and crushing human rights and dignity. It’s all too much for the average person to digest. Hey, have you heard that UFO’s have been seen in the world over by millions of people? No, well not in our media. That’s not to say UFO’s will be our savior. Maybe they too just want to join the battles.
We know now what Bush meant when he declared this will be a long war. But it’s not a war, it’s terrorist attacks, invading and occupying countries, and supporting terrorist countries such as Columbia, Israel, and Pakistan.
Did You ever wonder that since UFOs were around for thousands of years, maybe before Humans.. that the reason we haven’t destroyed the planet in a nuclear War is because of covert interference by UFOs?
Why not ? There have been hundreds of close calls.
If they wanted to do us harm, we would have been gone long ago.
I know this has nothing to do with us bombing Africa but maybe the UFO’s think so.
Jim Glover — At times, you make sense.
Appeal to UFOs is the worse type of cop-out of personal responsibility. I don’t see how this belief provides any empowerment, and in fact creates the illusion of fate and UFOs controlling our future.
Might as well go back asleep, or buy lots of chocolate bon-bons and watch TV until you die. Or what?
Namaste