The United States launched a second air strike against Islamic extremists in Somalia.

Jan 25, 2007

The United States launched the second air strike against what U.S. military officials said were al Qaeda operatives in Somalia.

The target of the second strike was unclear, Reuters reports, but some officials indicated it was likely an al Qaeda operative.

While speculation has increased that the United States has personnel on the ground in Somalia, U.S. officials have declined to confirm or deny such reports.

"We're going to go after al Qaeda and the global war on terror, wherever it takes us," said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Washington believes Somali Islamists have protected al Qaeda members accused of bombing two U.S. embassies and an Israeli-owned hotel in East Africa, U.S. officials said.

The strike by a U.S. AC-130 gunship earlier this month was the first military U.S. action in Somalia since the end of a peacekeeping mission in 1994.

Source: Reuters