Author Topic: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia  (Read 2071 times)

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Offline happyg

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Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« on: October 06, 2013, 02:54:04 pm »
In a stealthy seaside assault in Somalia, U.S. special forces on Saturday struck out against Islamic extremists who have carried out terrorist attacks in East Africa, before eventually aborting the mission to capture a leading terrorist suspect linked to last month's Nairobi shopping mall attack after a fierce firefight.

A U.S. Navy SEAL team swam ashore near a town in southern Somalia before militants of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group al-Shabab rose for dawn prayers, U.S. and Somali officials told The Associated Press. The raid on a house in the town of Barawe targeted a specific al-Qaeda suspect related to the mall attack, but the operation did not get its target, one current and one former U.S. military official told AP.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the raid publicly.

In Washington, Pentagon spokesman George Little confirmed that U.S. military personnel had been involved in a counterterrorism operation against a known al-Shabab terrorist in Somalia, but did not provide details.

U.S. officials said there were no U.S. casualties in the Somali operation.

The Somali raid was carried out by members of SEAL Team Six, the same unit that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan hideout in 2011, another senior U.S. military official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly.

But this time, SEAL Team Six members encountered fiercer resistance than expected so after a 15-20 minute firefight, the unit leader decided to abort the mission and they swam away, the official said. SEAL Team Six has responsibility for counterterrorism activities in the Horn of Africa.

Within hours of the Somalia attack, the U.S. Army's Delta Force carried out a raid in Libya's capital, Tripoli, to seize a Libyan al-Qaeda leader wanted for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 220 people, the military official said. Delta Force carries out counterterrorism operations in North Africa.

The Pentagon identified the captured al-Qaeda leader as Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, who has been on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list since it was introduced shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

Al-Libi "is currently lawfully detained by the U.S. military in a secure location outside of Libya," Pentagon spokesman Little said.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the two U.S. military raids against militants in Africa sends the message that terrorists "can run but they can't hide."

Saturday's raid in Somalia occurred 20 years after the famous "Black Hawk Down" battle in Mogadishu in which a mission to capture Somali warlords in the capital went awry after militiamen shot down two U.S. helicopters. Eighteen U.S. soldiers were killed in the battle, and it marked the beginning of the end of that U.S. military mission to bring stability to the Horn of Africa nation. Since then, U.S. military intervention has been limited to missile attacks and lightning operations by special forces.

A resident of Barawe - a seaside town 150 miles south of Mogadishu - said by telephone that heavy gunfire woke up residents before dawn prayers.

The U.S. forces attacked a two-story beachside house in Barawe where foreign fighters lived, battling their way inside, said an al-Shabab fighter who gave his name as Abu Mohamed and who said he had visited the scene. Al-Shabab has a formal alliance with al-Qaeda, and hundreds of men from the U.S., Britain and Middle Eastern countries fight alongside Somali members of al-Shabab.

A separate U.S. official described the action in Barawe as a capture operation against a high-value target. The official said U.S. forces engaged al-Shabab militants and sought to avoid civilian casualties. The U.S. forces disengaged after inflicting some casualties on fighters, said the official, who was not authorized to speak by name and insisted on anonymity.

The leader of al-Shabab, Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Ahmed Godane, claimed responsibility for the attack on the upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya, a four-day terrorist siege that began on Sept. 21 and killed at least 67 people. A Somali intelligence official said the al-Shabab leader was the target of Saturday's raid.

An al-Shabab official, Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab, said in an audio message that the raid failed to achieve its goals.

Al-Shabab and al-Qaeda have flourished in Somalia for years. Some of the plotters of the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania hid out there.

Barawe has seen Navy SEALs before. In September 2009 a daylight commando raid in Barawe killed six people, including Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of the most-wanted al-Qaeda operatives in the region and an alleged plotter in the 1998 embassy bombings.

In Somalia, a resident of Barawe who gave his name as Mohamed Bile said militants closed down the town in the hours after the assault, and that all traffic and movements have been restricted. Militants were carrying out house-to-house searches, likely to find evidence that a spy had given intelligence to a foreign power used to launch the attack, he said.

"We woke up to find al-Shabab fighters had sealed off the area and their hospital is also inaccessible," Bile told The Associated Press by phone. "The town is in a tense mood."

Al-Shabab later posted pictures on the Internet of what it said was U.S. military gear left behind in the raid. Two former U.S. military officers identified the gear as the kind U.S. troops carry. Pictures showed items including bullets, an ammunition magazine, a military GPS device and a smoke and flash-bang grenade used to clear rooms. The officials could not confirm if those items had come from the raid.

In Kenya, military spokesman Maj. Emmanuel Chirchir on Saturday gave the names of four fighters implicated in the Westgate Mall attack as Abu Baara al-Sudani, Omar Nabhan, Khattab al-Kene and Umayr, names that were first broadcast by a local Kenyan television station.

Matt Bryden, the former head of the U.N. Monitoring Group on Somalia and Eritrea, said via email that al-Kene and Umayr are known members of al-Hijra, the Kenyan arm of al-Shabab. He added that Nabhan may be a relative of Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, the target of the 2009 Navy SEALs raid in Barawe.

The identities of the four men from the mall attack came as a Nairobi station obtained and broadcast the closed circuit television footage from Westgate. The footage shows four attackers calmly walking through a storeroom inside the complex, holding machine guns. One of the men's pant legs appears to be stained with blood, though he is not limping. It is unclear if the blood is his, or that of his victims'.

Government statements shortly after the four-day siege began on Sept. 21 indicated between 10 to 15 attackers were involved, but indications since then are that fewer attackers took part, though the footage may not show all of the assailants.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57606218/navy-seals-abort-mission-to-capture-al-shabab-leader-in-somalia/

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #1 on: October 06, 2013, 03:00:52 pm »
Questions:  Where does CBS obtain this obviously leaked classified information?  And why publish it?  Do I as an average citizen need to know this detail which may ultimately undermine a mission and/or the lives of our men?

Offline happyg

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #2 on: October 06, 2013, 03:03:11 pm »
Questions:  Where does CBS obtain this obviously leaked classified information?  And why publish it?  Do I as an average citizen need to know this detail which may ultimately undermine a mission and/or the lives of our men?

CBS is part of the Obama administration. Evil!

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #3 on: October 06, 2013, 03:06:57 pm »
By posting this here, are not we extending readership?  IMO, of course.  I read posts here but never watch CBS News or go to the CBS website.

Offline happyg

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #4 on: October 06, 2013, 03:11:09 pm »
By posting this here, are not we extending readership?  IMO, of course.  I read posts here but never watch CBS News or go to the CBS website.

I don't go to CBS, either. This showed up elsewhere.

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #5 on: October 06, 2013, 03:16:38 pm »
I don't go to CBS, either. This showed up elsewhere.

OK?  So "elsewhere" is the source?  And gets posted here.  Sorry if I'm a bit slow this morning.  But the info is still available no matter where it originated.

Offline happyg

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2013, 03:29:04 pm »
OK?  So "elsewhere" is the source?  And gets posted here.  Sorry if I'm a bit slow this morning.  But the info is still available no matter where it originated.

I don't understand where you are coming from. This was posted on my FB page.

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2013, 03:34:53 pm »
I don't understand where you are coming from. This was posted on my FB page.

As i previously stated--this information should not be put out there for general consumption since this is the kind of information that (believe it or not) gets people killed and screws up missions.  If it were me, and it's not, I would delete this post out of respect and honor of the SEAL community.   That's where I am coming from.

Online DCPatriot

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2013, 03:38:26 pm »
As i previously stated--this information should not be put out there for general consumption since this is the kind of information that (believe it or not) gets people killed and screws up missions.  If it were me, and it's not, I would delete this post out of respect and honor of the SEAL community.   That's where I am coming from.

Gimme a freaking break!  Now you're calling for self censorship?

CBS announced this.   That's Dan Rather's and Scott Pelley's network.

Obama's people themselves leaked this and ordered the Navy SEALS to stand down.....again.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2013, 03:59:30 pm »
Gimme a freaking break!  Now you're calling for self censorship?

CBS announced this.   That's Dan Rather's and Scott Pelley's network.

Obama's people themselves leaked this and ordered the Navy SEALS to stand down.....again.

Easy, DC.  Don't have a stroke.  Yes, when it comes to security of our SEALS I would keep stuff to myself.  I'm not calling for anybody to do anything.  Just asking a rational question:  why would I help perpetuate Obama's crap?

Would you have the same reaction if someone you respected (ie not a complete jerk) put forth the same idea?  There used to be a saying "Loose Lips Sink Ships".  You may be too young to remember.

Offline happyg

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2013, 04:23:44 pm »
Quote
Would you have the same reaction if someone you respected (ie not a complete jerk) put forth the same idea?  There used to be a saying "Loose Lips Sink Ships". 

The loose lips came from this administration. CBS, ABC, NBC, and all the cable networks have discussed this. It has also made the rounds on Face Book, so this site is undoubtedly one of the last places it appeared.

Oceander

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2013, 04:27:06 pm »
Quote
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Sunday that the two U.S. military raids against militants in Africa sends the message that terrorists "can run but they can't hide."


:bigsilly:  :bigsilly:


That is so trite and cliched I'm surprised that even a democrat/liberal could still say it without blushing in embarrassment.

Offline ABX

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #12 on: October 06, 2013, 04:45:38 pm »
By posting this here, are not we extending readership?  IMO, of course.  I read posts here but never watch CBS News or go to the CBS website.

It is out there, we can't stop it. It is better it is posted here and we are aware than not.

Offline flowers

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #13 on: October 06, 2013, 05:03:26 pm »
Quote
Within hours of the Somalia attack, the U.S. Army's Delta Force carried out a raid in Libya's capital, Tripoli, to seize a Libyan al-Qaeda leader wanted for the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania that killed more than 220 people, the military official said. Delta Force carries out counterterrorism operations in North Africa.
Last night on CNN they had a couple of "experts" on. They seemed confused as to why the administration did this now. they have know he had been living in that place since 2011/


Online mountaineer

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #14 on: October 06, 2013, 05:05:10 pm »
Questions:  Where does CBS obtain this obviously leaked classified information? 
The article answers that question, doesn't it?
Quote
U.S. and Somali officials told The Associated Press. ...  one current and one former U.S. military official told AP.
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Offline flowers

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #15 on: October 06, 2013, 05:06:56 pm »



Quote
/liberal could still say it without blushing in embarrassment.
   are you saying a lib can get embarrassed?   :laugh:


famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #16 on: October 06, 2013, 05:12:39 pm »
The loose lips came from this administration. CBS, ABC, NBC, and all the cable networks have discussed this. It has also made the rounds on Face Book, so this site is undoubtedly one of the last places it appeared.

Research is your friend.
"Loos Lips Sink Ships" dates to World War II.

An idiom that came from a poster "Loose lips might sink ships," an Allied slogan during World War II meaning unguarded talk may give useful information to the enemy.

The implications of the slogan was simple and clear: Do not divulge whatever information you have about ship sailing times and destinations. If the wrong set of ears heard the information, disaster could follow. Americans during World War II, had a duty to protect the confidentiality and secrecy of information.

The following is an excerpt from guidelines establishing rules of conduct by the U S Government given to each of the volunteer of drafted soldier as he entered the battle area.

WRITING HOME

THINK! Where does the enemy get his information -- information that can put you, and has put your comrades, adrift on an open sea: information that has lost battles and can lose more, unless you personally, vigilantly, perform your duty in SAFEGUARDING MILITARY INFORMATION?

THERE ARE TEN PROHIBITED SUBJECTS

    Don't write military information of Army units -- their location, strength, material, or equipment.
    Don't write of military installations.
    Don't write of transportation facilities.
    Don't write of convoys, their routes, ports (including ports of embarkation and disembarkation), time en route, naval protection, or war incidents occurring en route.
    Don't disclose movements of ships, naval or merchant, troops, or aircraft.
    Don't mention plans and forecasts or orders for future operations, whether known or just your guess.
    Don't write about the effect of enemy operations.
    Don't tell of any casualty until released by proper authority (The Adjutant General) and then only by using the full name of the casualty.
    Don't attempt to formulate or use a code system, cipher, or shorthand, or any other means to conceal the true meaning of your letter. Violations of this regulation will result in severe punishment.
    Don't give your location in any way except as authorized by proper authority. Be sure nothing you write about discloses a more specific location than the one authorized.

TALK

SILENCE MEANS SECURITY -- If violation of protective measures is serious within written communications it is disastrous in conversations. Protect your conversation as you do your letters, and be even more careful. A harmful letter can be nullified by censorship; loose talk is direct delivery to the enemy.

If you come home during war your lips must remain sealed and your written hand must be guided by self-imposed censorship. This takes guts. Have you got them or do you want your buddies and your country to pay the price for your showing off. You’ve faced the battle front; its little enough to ask you to face this ‘home front.’

CAPTURE

Most enemy intelligence comes from prisoners. If captured, you are required to give only three facts: YOUR NAME, YOUR GRADE, YOUR ARMY SERIAL NUMBER. Don’t talk, don't try to fake stories and use every effort to destroy all papers. When you are going into an area where capture is possible, carry only essential papers and plan to destroy them prior to capture if possible. Do not carry personal letters on your person; they tell much about you, and the envelope has on it your unit and organization.

BE SENSIBLE; USE YOUR HEAD

famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #17 on: October 06, 2013, 05:27:57 pm »
The article answers that question, doesn't it?

So I am at fault for asking who the specific person is in the administration who put this out?   I (incorrectly) took for granted readers would understand my question.  Of course it was someone in Trayvon's national security apparatus--my question:  Who is it?

Online mountaineer

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #18 on: October 06, 2013, 05:30:28 pm »
So I am at fault for asking who the specific person is in the administration who put this out?   I (incorrectly) took for granted readers would understand my question.  Of course it was someone in Trayvon's national security apparatus--my question:  Who is it?
I didn't say that. You asked where CBS got the info and I quoted that part of the article that stated U.S. officials provided the info to the Associated Press.
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famousdayandyear

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #19 on: October 06, 2013, 05:35:51 pm »
I didn't say that. You asked where CBS got the info and I quoted that part of the article that stated U.S. officials provided the info to the Associated Press.

OF COURSE, CBS got it from a US official :thud:  That was NOT MY QUESTION!

Offline Carling

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #20 on: October 07, 2013, 02:42:03 am »
As i previously stated--this information should not be put out there for general consumption since this is the kind of information that (believe it or not) gets people killed and screws up missions.  If it were me, and it's not, I would delete this post out of respect and honor of the SEAL community.   That's where I am coming from.

By you posting in this thread, you've bumped it to the point where I actually read it because it was at the top of the forum.  Had you not commented, I would have never known about it.   :shrug:

Thanks for letting me know about this failed SEAL mission!   :patriot:
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Offline truth_seeker

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Re: Navy SEALs abort mission to capture al-Shabab leader in Somalia
« Reply #21 on: October 07, 2013, 02:47:47 am »
As i previously stated--this information should not be put out there for general consumption since this is the kind of information that (believe it or not) gets people killed and screws up missions.  If it were me, and it's not, I would delete this post out of respect and honor of the SEAL community.   That's where I am coming from.
I heard it today on Fox news, or CNN news on my XM radio.

No way to learn if it is the truth, or misinformation, however. Historically a significant part of "intelligence" is misinformation.
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