U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six pulled out during a
raid in Somalia to capture suspected Al-Shabaab leader
Ikrima when it became clear that he couldn't be taken
alive, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
"Their mission was to capture him. Once it became
clear we were not going to (be) able to take him, the
Navy commander made the decision to withdraw," said
the official, who has direct knowledge of the entire
Somalia operation but declined to be identified publicly.
The official said the SEALs faced heavy opposition and
an intense firefight broke out, leading to the
withdrawal.
The mission's aim -- to capture Ikrima -- is the reason
the team went in rather than using a drone to attack
the heavily guarded seaside villa, the official said.
Another U.S. official told CNN the Navy SEALs reported
seeing children at the compound, part of the reason the
mission was stopped during the firefight.
U.S. terror raids: 2 operations. 2
outcomes. 5 questions.
Amid questions about the aborted
mission, the Pentagon is disputing the
suggestion that Al-Shabaab drove out the
SEALs.
"That's not how it happened," Pentagon
spokesman George Little insisted to CNN.
"There was a firefight, absolutely, and they
took every step to avoid civilian casualties
in this case, and that's what our military
personnel do. They weigh these kinds of
decisions and they made a prudent
decision on the ground to depart. It was
their decision."
Little said earlier that the United States will
continue to work with Somalia's
government to confront Al-Shabaab.
"While the operation did not result in
Ikrima's capture, U.S. military personnel
conducted the operation with unparalleled
precision and demonstrated that the United States can
put direct pressure on Al-Shabaab leadership at any
time of our choosing," he said.
Somalia welcomed the U.S. raid, Somali Deputy Prime
Minister Fawzia Yusuf Adam told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour Monday.
"We are welcoming more if this will help us ... get rid of
al Qaeda and Al-Shabaab," said Adam, who is also the
country's foreign minister.
It was one of two U.S. military operations in Africa over
the weekend targeting what officials called high-value
terrorism suspects.
In the other raid, members of the elite U.S. Army Delta
Force captured Abu Anas al Libi, an al Qaeda operative
wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 1998
bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
U.S. target in Somalia: An inside story on an Al-Shabaab
commander
Next stop, New York?
The special forces took al Libi to a U.S. Navy warship
after his capture, a U.S. official said.
The Pentagon said the U.S. military was holding al Libi
in a "secure location" outside Libya. There, a team of
officials from the FBI, the CIA and other intelligence
agencies are grilling him for intelligence on al Qaeda.
His next stop could be the United States, where
authorities have long wanted al Libi to stand trial in an
American court for his alleged role in the embassy
bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that left over 200
dead and thousands wounded.
The Libyan interim government called the U.S. capture
a kidnapping and wants an explanation from
Washington, the country's state news agency reported
Sunday. There's no extradition treaty between Libya
and the United States.
Opinion: Good thing U.S. terrorist hunters weren't
furloughed
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry disputes that. He
described al Libi as a key al Qaeda figure who is a "legal
and an appropriate target."
Kerry said Monday that al Libi "will now have an
opportunity to defend himself and to be appropriately
brought to justice in a court of law."
A federal grand jury in New York has already indicted al
Libi for the embassy attacks.
State Department rules out Guantanamo
But trying terrorism suspects on American soil has been
a controversial topic in the past.
In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said five
Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11
attacks would be transferred to New York for trial in
civilian court . Later Holder reversed course, announcing
that accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed and others would be tried in a military
commission at Guantanamo instead.
Could al Libi face a similar fate?
State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said
Monday that there's no chance he could end up at
Guantanamo.
"The administration's position on Guantanamo is clear.
Our goal is not to add to the population, it's to reduce
it, which we've done. ... Our policy is not to send any
new detainees to Guantanamo," she said.
Opinion: Has U.S. learned from past counter-terrorism
mistakes in Africa?
Concern grows over terrorism in region
The weekend attacks come as concern over terrorism in
the region is on the rise after last month's deadly
shopping mall attack in Kenya's capital.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which
left at least 67 people dead.
A U.S. official said Monday that the U.S. government is
concerned about the al Qaeda-linked militant group's
growing focus on external operations -- including the
possibility of striking U.S. interests in the region.
The Somalia operation was planned before the mall
attack, the official said.
Another source underlined that the raid was not in
response to the mall attack, adding that the United
States has been going after Al-Shabaab for some time,
with SEALs and with drones.
raid in Somalia to capture suspected Al-Shabaab leader
Ikrima when it became clear that he couldn't be taken
alive, a senior U.S. official told CNN.
"Their mission was to capture him. Once it became
clear we were not going to (be) able to take him, the
Navy commander made the decision to withdraw," said
the official, who has direct knowledge of the entire
Somalia operation but declined to be identified publicly.
The official said the SEALs faced heavy opposition and
an intense firefight broke out, leading to the
withdrawal.
The mission's aim -- to capture Ikrima -- is the reason
the team went in rather than using a drone to attack
the heavily guarded seaside villa, the official said.
Another U.S. official told CNN the Navy SEALs reported
seeing children at the compound, part of the reason the
mission was stopped during the firefight.
U.S. terror raids: 2 operations. 2
outcomes. 5 questions.
Amid questions about the aborted
mission, the Pentagon is disputing the
suggestion that Al-Shabaab drove out the
SEALs.
"That's not how it happened," Pentagon
spokesman George Little insisted to CNN.
"There was a firefight, absolutely, and they
took every step to avoid civilian casualties
in this case, and that's what our military
personnel do. They weigh these kinds of
decisions and they made a prudent
decision on the ground to depart. It was
their decision."
Little said earlier that the United States will
continue to work with Somalia's
government to confront Al-Shabaab.
"While the operation did not result in
Ikrima's capture, U.S. military personnel
conducted the operation with unparalleled
precision and demonstrated that the United States can
put direct pressure on Al-Shabaab leadership at any
time of our choosing," he said.
Somalia welcomed the U.S. raid, Somali Deputy Prime
Minister Fawzia Yusuf Adam told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour Monday.
"We are welcoming more if this will help us ... get rid of
al Qaeda and Al-Shabaab," said Adam, who is also the
country's foreign minister.
It was one of two U.S. military operations in Africa over
the weekend targeting what officials called high-value
terrorism suspects.
In the other raid, members of the elite U.S. Army Delta
Force captured Abu Anas al Libi, an al Qaeda operative
wanted for his alleged role in the deadly 1998
bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.
U.S. target in Somalia: An inside story on an Al-Shabaab
commander
Next stop, New York?
The special forces took al Libi to a U.S. Navy warship
after his capture, a U.S. official said.
The Pentagon said the U.S. military was holding al Libi
in a "secure location" outside Libya. There, a team of
officials from the FBI, the CIA and other intelligence
agencies are grilling him for intelligence on al Qaeda.
His next stop could be the United States, where
authorities have long wanted al Libi to stand trial in an
American court for his alleged role in the embassy
bombings in Kenya and Tanzania that left over 200
dead and thousands wounded.
The Libyan interim government called the U.S. capture
a kidnapping and wants an explanation from
Washington, the country's state news agency reported
Sunday. There's no extradition treaty between Libya
and the United States.
Opinion: Good thing U.S. terrorist hunters weren't
furloughed
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry disputes that. He
described al Libi as a key al Qaeda figure who is a "legal
and an appropriate target."
Kerry said Monday that al Libi "will now have an
opportunity to defend himself and to be appropriately
brought to justice in a court of law."
A federal grand jury in New York has already indicted al
Libi for the embassy attacks.
State Department rules out Guantanamo
But trying terrorism suspects on American soil has been
a controversial topic in the past.
In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder said five
Guantanamo Bay detainees with alleged ties to the 9/11
attacks would be transferred to New York for trial in
civilian court . Later Holder reversed course, announcing
that accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed and others would be tried in a military
commission at Guantanamo instead.
Could al Libi face a similar fate?
State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said
Monday that there's no chance he could end up at
Guantanamo.
"The administration's position on Guantanamo is clear.
Our goal is not to add to the population, it's to reduce
it, which we've done. ... Our policy is not to send any
new detainees to Guantanamo," she said.
Opinion: Has U.S. learned from past counter-terrorism
mistakes in Africa?
Concern grows over terrorism in region
The weekend attacks come as concern over terrorism in
the region is on the rise after last month's deadly
shopping mall attack in Kenya's capital.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which
left at least 67 people dead.
A U.S. official said Monday that the U.S. government is
concerned about the al Qaeda-linked militant group's
growing focus on external operations -- including the
possibility of striking U.S. interests in the region.
The Somalia operation was planned before the mall
attack, the official said.
Another source underlined that the raid was not in
response to the mall attack, adding that the United
States has been going after Al-Shabaab for some time,
with SEALs and with drones.
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