Pentagon confirms strike in Somalia on al Qaeda
WASHINGTON, Jan 9 (Reuters) The Pentagon today said the United States struck southern Somalia on Sunday, targeting what they believed to be the ''principal'' al Qaeda leadership in the area.
''I will acknowledge the fact that the United States military did conduct a strike in southern Somalia on Sunday,'' said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.
''The target of the strike was the principal al Qaeda leadership in the region,'' he said.
Whitman said the strike was based on ''credible intelligence'' but would not comment on whether it was successful.
The strike was Washington's first overt military intervention in Somalia since a disastrous peacekeeping mission that ended in 1994.
Amid reports of subsequent US strikes today, Whitman declined to state categorically whether the US military had been involved in other operations.
But
he
said:
''I
have
talked
about
an
operation
that
took
place
on
Sunday
and
I
have
talked
about
the
operations,
air
operations,
to
date.''
REUTERS
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