STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- U.S. forces capture an al Qaeda operative tied to embassy bombings, officials say
- The U.S. military operation targeting Abu Anas al Libi took place in Tripoli, Libya
- Official: U.S. forces also take part in a raid in southern Somalia targeting Al-Shabaab
- It’s not known if their target died; no SEALs are thought to be killed, says U.S. official
(CNN) — U.S. military forces were involved in two separate operations in Africa — one of them targeting a member of the group Al-Shabaab, which was behind last month’s Kenya mall attack, and the other going after an al Qaeda leader tied to the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies.
The Al-Shabaab raid took place in Somalia, where that terrorist group is based, sometime in the past 24 hours, a senior U.S. official said Saturday evening.
The team of U.S. Navy SEALs had to withdraw before it could confirm whether it killed the target because they came under fire, the official said. The SEALs made the “prudent decision” to withdraw rather than engage in further combat, according to the official.
The other mission ended in the capture of Abu Anas al Libi, who is suspected to have played a significant role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of American embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Nairobi, Kenya, U.S. officials said.
The key al Qaeda operative was captured by U.S. special operations forces in Tripoli, Libya, according to the officials.
This U.S. operation was conducted with the knowledge of the Libyan government, said one U.S. official.
It was not immediately known if the two operations were coordinated or even related: While Al-Shabaab is affiliated with al Qaeda, it is not known that al Libi had any connection with that group or was linked to last month’s deadly attack on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall.
Still, it shows the U.S. military’s capabilities to strike quickly against terrorists — and not just using unmanned drones, as have been frequently used in Yemen, Pakistan and other locales.
Al-Shabaab blamed for Kenya mall attack
Relatives of Johnny Mutinda Musango, 48, weep after identifying his body at the city morgue in Nairobi, Kenya, on Tuesday, September 24. Musango was one of the victims of the Westgate Mall hostage siege. Kenyan security forces were still combing the mall on the fourth day of the siege by al Qaeda-linked terrorists. 
Ann Gakii reacts at the Nairobi City Mortuary after identifying the body of her father, who was killed in the mall attack on Saturday. 
A Kenyan soldier runs through a corridor on an upper floor at the Westgate Shopping Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, on September 24, shortly before an explosion was heard. Sounds of heavy gunfire erupted from the mall Tuesday, even as authorities said they had the building under their control. But four days after Al-Shabaab terrorists stormed the swanky mall, several gunmen — including snipers — were still inside, two senior officials said. 
Kenyan Defense Forces walk near the mall on Monday, September 23. 
Kenyan Defense Forces leave the mall on September 23. 
Stephen, center, is comforted by relatives as he waits for the post mortem exam of his father, who was killed in Saturday’s attack at the mall. 
A Kenyan police officer guards the entrance of a building near the mall on September 23. 
A Kenyan security officer takes cover as gunfire and explosions are heard from the mall on September 23. 
Heavy smoke rises from the Westgate Shopping Mall on September 23. 
Medics take cover behind a tree as gunfire and explosions are heard from the Westgate Mall on September 23. 
A Kenyan police security officer runs for cover as heavy smoke rises from the mall on September 23. 
A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall on September 23. 
People run for cover outside the mall after heavy shooting started on September 23. 
Kenyan security forces crouch behind a wall outside the mall on September 23. 
Soldiers take cover after gunfire near the mall on September 23. 
Kenyan paramilitary police officers patrol the area near the mall on Sunday, September 22. 
Soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces arrive outside the Westgate Mall on September 22. 
A woman shields a baby as a soldier stands guard inside the Westgate Mall on Saturday, September 21. 
A rescue worker helps a child outside the mall. 
People who had been hiding inside the mall during the gunfire flee the scene. 
An armed official takes a shooting position inside the mall. 
An armed official crouches on September 21. 
Bodies lie on the ground inside the mall. 
Men help a wounded woman outside the mall. 
Officials carry an injured man in the mall. 
Soldiers move up stairs inside the Westgate Mall. 
Armed police leave after entering the mall. At least one suspect has been killed, a government official said. Police have said another suspected gunman has been detained at a Nairobi hospital. 
Armed police take cover behind escalators as smoke fills the air. Witnesses say tear gas was thrown in the corridors. 
A woman who had been hiding during the attack runs for cover after armed police enter the mall. 
A body is seen on the floor inside the smoke-filled four-story mall. 
An injured person is helped on arrival at the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi after the attack at the upscale mall. 
A soldier directs people up a stairway inside the Westgate on September 21. 
An injured man is wheeled into the Aga Khan Hospital in Nairobi. 
People run from the Westgate Mall. 
A Kenyan woman is helped to safety after the masked gunmen stormed the upscale mall and sprayed gunfire on shoppers and staff. 
Crowds gather outside the upscale shopping mall. The interior ministry urges Kenyans to keep off the roads near the mall so police can ensure everyone inside has been evacuated to safety. 
A policeman carries a baby to safety. Authorities said multiple shooters were at the scene. 
Bodies lie outside the shopping mall. 
A security officer helps a wounded woman outside. 
Elaine Dang of San Diego is helped to safety after the attack. The military asked local media not to televise anything live because the gunmen are watching the screens in the mall. 
Paramedics treat an injured man outside the mall. 
Medical personnel carry a body away. 
A body lies outside the mall. Gunmen shot people outside the mall as they entered it 
A woman is pulled by a shopping cart to an ambulance. 
A wounded man is escorted outside the mall. 
A police officer carries a baby as people keep low and run to safety. Crowds dashed down the streets as soldiers in military fatigues, guns cocked, crawled under cars to get closer to the mall. 
People run away from the scene. 
Armed Kenyan forces take position to secure the area around the shopping mall as ambulances move in to carry the injured. 
A woman reacts after she is rescued from the mall. 
A couple flee the area. As night fell, authorities said they had cornered the gunmen in the mall. Kenya mall attack
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Photos: Kenya mall attack Al-Shabaab long has been a target of Washington: It was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government in March 2008. The group is seeking to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, though it has targeted people outside that African country as well.
While the Somali group has been linked to a number of attacks, its most recent one on Nairobi’s Westgate Mall — which left at least 67 people dead — thrust it into the spotlight once again. Washington vowed to support Kenya’s government after the bloody, multi-day raid, which raised concerns that something like it could happen in the United States.
Why exactly U.S. forces went after the group recently in southern Somalia wasn’t immediately known.
It’s not believed that any SEALs died in that raid.
South-central Somalia is where most of the group’s foreign fighters and leaders live and is heavily guarded. The group there has been increasingly squeezed as Kenyan forces fight the group from the south and African Union forces come down from Mogadishu.
Al Libi tied to U.S. embassy bombings
In some ways, U.S. authorities have had their eyes on al Libi for even longer — even putting out a $5 million reward for information leading to him.
He is alleged to have played a key role in the August 7, 1998, bombings of American embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Nairobi, Kenya.
U.S. officials have wanted al Libi, 49, to face trial in an American court. As is, he’s been indicted on charges of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, murder, destruction of American buildings and government property, and destruction of national defense utilities of the United States.
The al Qaeda member had been seen in Tripoli, as CNN was first to report back in September 2012, citing Western intelligence sources. These sources said there was concern that al Libi was working to establish an al Qaeda network in Libya.
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Targets were al Qaeda leader, Al-Shabaab member
The post Targets were al Qaeda leader, Al-Shabaab member appeared first on Arne Ruhnau News.
via Arne Ruhnau News http://arneruhnau.com/targets-were-al-qaeda-leader-al-shabaab-member/
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