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US Marines Land on Somali Coast to Hunt Militants
 US Marines landed on Somalia's coast in one of their most visible hunts for militants in the country since they set up a Horn of Africa counter terrorism force in 2002. Two boats brought about 20 lightly armed Marines to the fishing village of Maydh in the northwestern enclave of Somaliland on Tuesday, where they showed pictures of suspected "terrorists" to locals before leaving, residents said. "They met some of the fishermen and the people and they showed some pictures they were carrying, saying that these people are terrorists that they are trying to capture," Assistant District Commissioner Ali Abdi told Reuters. It was not clear who the Marines were looking for.The Marines' arrival coincided with signs of US military activity elsewhere along the coast of Somaliland, a relatively stable region which declared independence in 1991 to escape chaos engulfing the rest of Somalia, but which is not internationally recognized. Two US military helicopters flew low over parts of the Gulf of Aden port of Berbera on Wednesday, including the docks, airport, a fuel depot and former barracks, residents said. Reporters said three US vessels, including a helicopter carrier, had been spotted on Tuesday at the port of Las Qorei, where Marines questioned fishermen about local shipping. Somaliland's interior minister declined to comment. Officers from the US task force based in neighboring Djibouti since December 2002 to hunt down any militants in the region were not immediately contactable for comment. Posted by: Fred 2005-05-06 |
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