Dobley airstrike

At 3:25 AM on 3 March 2008, two BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles launched by a United States Navy warship hit the village of Dobley in Somalia.[1] According to US military officials the target of the attack was an al-Qaeda leader. Dobley district commissioner Ali Hussein Nuir stated that Sheikh Hassan Turki, a local militant cleric was meeting with leaders of a Mogadishu-based militant group nearby.[2] Varying reports of casualties surfaced with villagers reporting that between four and six people were dead. It is unclear whether these casualties were targets or civilians. Villagers also reported that an aircraft had attacked them, but US military officials denied these reports merely stating that an attack had indeed occurred and that they were looking into the results. At least two previous attacks of a similar nature occurred in 2007 where American forces targeted suspected al-Qaeda operatives in Ras Kamboni as well as in Bargal.

Dobley airstrike
Part of War in Somalia (2006–2009)
TypeMissile attack
Location
Dobley, Somalia
TargetAl Qaeda militants
Date3 March 2008 (2008-03-03)
Executed by United States Navy
Casualties4–6 killed

Jane's Defence Weekly, writing in its 12 March 2008 issue, said the attack was reportedly carried out by a U.S. Navy submarine, firing Tomahawks.[3] Jane's said several news reports said the target of the attack was Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, sought by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in connection with 2002 terrorist attacks in Kenya against hotels and a civilian airliner.

See also

References
  1. "Off-target: When missile strikes at alleged terrorists go awry, U.S. policy takes a hit". Los Angeles Times. 28 March 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  2. "USA launches missile strike in Somalia". France 24. 3 March 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  3. Nathan Hodge, 'US strikes Al-Qaeda target located in southern Somalia," JDW, 12 March 2008 (Vol 45, Issue 11), p.18

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