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US FORCES STRUCK two militant targets in Africa yesterday, snatching a top Al-Qaeda suspect from the streets of Tripoli and launching a pre-dawn raid against a Shebab leader’s home in Somalia.
In Libya, US forces seized a militant known as Abu Anas al-Libi, a long-sought Al-Qaeda operative indicted in the 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
A separate raid in the southern Somali port of Barawe failed to capture the senior militant and it was unclear whether he had been killed, but a US official said several Shebab members were killed.
The Libya operation, however, appeared to be a success for the US military.
“As the result of a US counterterrorism operation, Abu Anas al-Libi is currently lawfully detained by the US military in a secure location outside of Libya,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.
A source close to Libi told AFP he was snatched by armed men in Tripoli.
Libi, who was on the FBI’s most wanted list with a $5 million reward, was indicted in US federal court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in the east Africa bombings.
The attacks left more than 200 people dead.
His capture ended a 15-year manhunt for a key Al-Qaeda operative, who was born under the name Nazih Abdul Hamed Al-Raghie.
It also paved the way for Libi, 49, to be brought to the United States to face trial.
“Capture of Abu Anas al Libi would represent major blow against remnants of al Qaeda’s core,” Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, wrote on Twitter.
Daylight
The operation took place in broad daylight with the knowledge of the Libyan government, a US official told CNN.
Libyan security services denied the claim, saying they were unaware of any kidnapping or arrest of the man.
According to the indictment, Libi and other Al-Qaeda members discussed an attack on the US Embassy in Nairobi as early as 1993.
He is said to have conducted visual and photographic surveillance of the mission that year.
In 1994, he allegedly planned to attack the mission as well as the building, then housing the United States Agency for International Development in the Kenyan capital, along with British, French and Israeli targets.
A US official said the operation in Somalia sought to capture a “high-value” Shebab leader, and that no US personnel were injured or killed.
The operation marked the most significant US assault in Somalia since commandos killed key Al-Qaeda operative Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in the same area four years ago.
It followed an attack by Shebab gunmen last month on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead during a four-day siege.
“US personnel took all necessary precautions to avoid civilian casualties in this operation and disengaged after inflicting some Shebab casualties,” the official said.
Declining to identify the people who died, the official said that “even in these extreme operational circumstances, the US military is very cautious to minimize civilian casualties.”
Casualties
The statement was an acknowledgement of US authorities’ concern with the bitter anti-American sentiment fueled by civilian casualties in US military operations.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab had earlier claimed it was British and Turkish special forces that staged a nighttime sea and air attack on one of its bases, but Britain denied any involvement.
Insurgent leaders in Barawe, one of the few ports left in Shebab hands, said commandos rappelled from a helicopter and tried to storm a house belonging to a senior Shebab commander, but the assault failed.
The SEAL team approached and fired on the unidentified target’s seaside villa by sea, according to The New York Times.
Although the Shebab leader was believed to have been killed during the pre-planned assault, the SEALs had to withdraw before they could confirm the kill, a senior US official told the newspaper.
“The Barawe raid was planned a week and a half ago,” a US security official told the Times.
“It was prompted by the Westgate attack.”
Official
A senior Somali government official told the newspaper that “the attack was carried out by the American forces and the Somali government was pre-informed about the attack.”
Shebab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab told AFP that commandos had stormed the beach by boat, but laid blamed on Britain and Turkey.
“The bungled operation was carried out by white people, who came with two small boats from a larger ship out at sea… one Shebab guard was killed, but reinforcements soon came and the foreigners fled,” he said.
“Where the foreigners had been, afterwards we saw lots of blood, so maybe we wounded some.”
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The law demands owners keep their dogs under control. If a dog attacks, it is not under control, so the law is broken and prosecution should follow. If the dog is under control and allowed to attack, that’s a whole other level of law broken. Either way, owners should be prosecuted in all cases, by Gardai, not illusive dog wardens.
@Seanfhear míshásta: should the dog be destroyed after an attack.
@Seanfhear míshásta: How would that work if a normally tame dog had a brain tumour that changed its behaviour? Would it be right to prosecute people who aren’t medically qualified to detect that?
Laws are meaningless without enforcement.
Dangerous dogs are used as weapons of intimidation by thugs and low level criminals. That’s the problem.
They are not pets or a cared for animal.
The dogs are pretty nearly never the root of the problem.
People who shouldn’t own dogs owning dogs is a problem.
Dogs being trained for police or military service that includes attacking people (or even other animals) is a problem.
Dogs having to resort to their basal instinct to hunt because they’re lost or abandoned is a problem.
@Todd Hebert: If this often repeated old trope was true, why then do we always know the breed of dog before we reach the end of any article reporting an attack ? Every single time. Ignoring the nature of any breed is doing a disservice to the dog.
@Declan Doherty: oh please… there’s extreme media bias when it comes to all things Pits related, be they looking like one to mixes abd completely mislabelled.
Meanwhile every dog attack by other breeds are rarely mentioned in the news where they’ll never mention its breed. It’s the extact same thing they do for people where it’s more than happy to highlight white folk but not other ethnicity.
Sensationalism sells.
@Declan Doherty: did you read the article? Specifically the part about breeds?
It’s near impossible to identify certain breeds. There needs to be controls put in place, but it’s clear the current ones aren’t working.
@Declan Doherty: Well, we don’t know what breeds are involved. The article says that veterinarians have tried & you can’t tell a breed or mix by looking. It would have to be a DNA test. And small dogs also bite when they’re bred to be aggressive and are off lead.
People talk about military, authoritarian types of owners, but in reality I’d say it’s more likely that cash business owners, especially illegal ones, are buying breeds and mistreating them to be aggressive to people. As you say, it’s a disservice to any dog. Besides, people shouldn’t be breeding them and selecting from the most aggressive ones to sell to people.
@Kieran Menon: Mindless twaddle. These dogs are bred for their size, weight, jaw strength and aggressivity. No amount of educating the owner can compensate for that.
@Declan Doherty: XLs will do more damage because of how they were bred, not because they’re more likely to attack . Thats why they’re reported on. I volunteer at a dog sanctuary and the only dogs I am cautious around are the Jack Russells, Yorkies, and Frenchies … only ones who have bitten or tried to bite me.
People should need to apply for a license before they can own anything that can sh!t in the street. Many are not suitable for the responsabity
@Thesaltyurchin: Saw a young woman sh—–g in the street last week, not just dogs to blame
@Sean Doyle: D8?… It’s sort of hilarious that it’s on the ‘driveway’ of Ireland’s biggest tourist attraction. Suppose the tourists expect a bit of peasantry all the same.
Banning breeds is a completely pointless endeavour and doesn’t prevent anything. It doesn’t even have anything to do with the temperament of the dog. Dogs are targeted just because they in theory have the tools to do damage even though they have a very pleasant temperament whereas others are not even though they may be aggressive. Let’s face it it’s down to the owners and little d rotes who should not be allowed to own any animal. They treat these dogs very badly to make them vicious then encourage them to attack. There should be a lifetime ban on these people owning a dog and one that is properly enforced rather than penalising the breed.
It’s the owners who need to be trained. Small dogs can be very vicious, our dog a lab was bitten by a Maltese dog. She’s never forgotten, I never let her near small dogs.
@Emily OByrne: Yes agreed. Stereotyping breeds like Pitbulls, who are actually more like big puppies in their mannerisms and affections, is disastrous to the breed. Unfortunately, because of their size and strength, they can be a killer in the wrong hands. Training and loving homes are essential. And yes, there was a little nightmare of a yapper Jack Russell near my house who would run like the devil towards me every time i went for a walk. It was only when his jaws actually made contact with my ankle did i make a complaint. Thankfully the owners complied and got one of those invisible electric fence things.
@Emily OByrne: Be glad that it was a Maltese and not a Bull breed that attacked your dog. Bull breeds are almost exclusively owned by certain undesirable sections of our society. Both the dogs and their owners should be banned.
@Pauline Gallagher: It would have been a lot messier had it been an XL!
They should be shot on sight.
@Padraig O’Brien:
Dogs and owners!
@Padraig O’Brien: Step up then, big man.
People always come out with the same old argument, it’s not the dog it’s the owner. That’s bs, a pit bull was bred to fight bulls. They are large, dangerous animals. They aren’t pets. They should be completely banned along with many other dangerous breeds
Scrotes shouldn’t be allowed own dogs
Dogs, regardless of their breed, are inherently, resilient, forgiving, loyal and loving with the right owners and proper socialization and training. This breed of dog are dying in their droves, in very brutal manners, at the hands of thugs once the ban came in. Shelters will be overrun by the owners kind and human enough to hand them over. Banning was a disaster for the UK.
@Pauline Gallagher: some breeds are more aggressive than others. They were bred that way. Add to that bite force and power and you get a dangerous breed. That’s why certain breeds need very experienced owners because if if goes wrong, it really goes wrong. Pit bulls can cause serious damage if they attack. The issue is anyone can own a dog. And it’s usually the most irresponsible owners that go for the most dangerous breeds because they want to look like a tough guy. Maybe have legal requirements for owners of certain breeds like having to do a training course with the dog etc.
We can all agree that responsible dog ownership would negate a lot of dog attack incidents.
We can also agree that it will never be enforced and that there will always be a sizeable cohort of owners who simply won’t do what they are supposed to do.
If we can’t stamp out criminal behaviour due to human nature then it’s ridiculous to think we can achieve a dog ownership utopia.
As soon as you accept that, then you have to take practical steps – for me, this isn’t a complicated process:
1) Will all owners be responsible? – No
2) If they will not, then will there always be dog attacks? Yes
3) if there will always be dog attacks, are some dogs physically capable of inflicting a lot of damage? Yes
4) For that type of dog, does the benefit to society from allowing them outweigh the possible risk to human life?
For me, the answer to question 4 has to be No. there are plenty of other dogs that people can own and thus derive the benefits of dog ownership.
Will smaller breeds attack – yes, as mentioned there’s no way to totally stop it but, at least they are less likely to inflict serious damage due to their size.
We have no problem with maintaining a gun ban in Ireland – why? Because we don’t think the benefits to society from allowing gun ownership outweighs the risks that come with it.
Dogs who were historically bred for fighting and aggressive traits should not be treated any differently.
Society would be in no way worse off if everyone owned a Japanese spitz instead of a Tosa.
@Wombleman: Well reasoned.
Root issue is the owner, not the dog… too many useless owners that literally don’t train their dogs, especially in socialising.
Be great if having a dog requires a licence of competency, just like driving, before they’re allowed to own a dog…
A dog weighting upwards of 57k is not a pet. They should be muzzled at all times or destroyed
@Mark Smyth: Isn’t it more their teeth and bite power than their size?
Bigger dogs are usually the most gentle ones and step out of their way to avoid provoking other dogs. Also, the bigger the head, the brighter the dog and the more likely the creature is to be able to control themselves and learn from training.
@F Fitzgerald: Is the stone you live under, heavy?
Bad owners, bad owners, bad owners. That’s it.
@Jason Walsh: No. It isn’t. Educate yourself.
Well-meaning but misguided article. Which is easier, educate dog owners who don’t want to be educated, or ban the dogs? Which is easier to enforce?
I met a lady on the beach recently with her XL bully. The nicest friendly dog you could meet. Of course, I know they are not all like this. It’s how they are brought up, no different to people in society
@Jo Jo: Nonsense, sadly. Educate yourself on this breed.
I am a recreational cyclist. It’s amazing how dogs can detect my approach by acute hearing. Mostly they bark from inside their boundary fence.
I’ve been bitten twice – one bite. The thing is a dogs front teeth (upper and lower) make 4 deep holes which automatically causes infection (cellulitis)
One occasion I was brought down in a collision by a Labrador which rushed out to chase the cyclist in front of me.
have your say