Somali Extremist Group Vows Revenge For Killing of Top Terrorist

Somalia’s extremist Al-Shabab militia has vowed revenge for the death of a leading Al Qaeda operative. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was believed responsible for the bombings of two US embassies in East Africa in 1998 that killed hundreds of people.

U.S. Special Forces yesterday killed Kenyan-born Saleh Nabhan, 28, who was travelling in a convoy believed to be carrying top Somali Al Qaeda members. The Americans deployed against the convoy from helicopters launched from a ship off the south Somali coast.

Defenceweb quoted a senior Somali government source as saying: ”Nabhan and four other top foreign commanders were killed in the raid.” Nabhan was also suspected of planning other attacks.

Meanwhile, The Times reports Al-Shabab has now vowed revenge. An Al-Shabab spokesman said:

“Muslims will retaliate against this unprovoked attack. The United States is Islam’s known enemy and we will never expect mercy from them, nor should they expect mercy from us.”

Nabhan was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

The US says another Al Qaeda-linked suspect may be in Somalia, a Sudanese explosives expert who is also implicated in the attacks against the embassies as well as a Kenyan hotel in 2002.

America has launched attacks into parts of Somalia that lack effective government in the past. Last May, US aircraft killed the leader of Al- Shabab, Aden Hashi Ayro. Ayro was believed to have been Al Qaeda’s top man in Somalia at the time.