U.S. officials fear Somalia could become al-Qaida safe haven

BY JAMES GORDON MEEK

New York Daily News

WASHINGTON - Radical Islamic militias seized control of the capital of Somalia on Monday, alarming U.S. counterterrorism officials who fear it becoming an al-Qaida safe haven like Afghanistan was under the Taliban.

An alliance of Islamic militias fought secular warlords to dominate neighborhoods in the capital of Mogadishu, the city U.S. peacekeepers were driven from after the 1993 "Black Hawk Down" battle.

The defeated secular warlords had reportedly received secret U.S. support - but have fled the ruined city.

"Now you've got a safe haven for al-Qaida," said a defense intelligence official monitoring the country that was used as a base to stage attacks on two U.S. embassies and an Israeli resort in East Africa. "It's definitely a concern."

However, current and former U.S. officials told the New York Daily News that Osama bin Laden's terror network isn't firmly established in Somalia, though the country hasn't had a central government in 15 years.

U.S. Special Forces teams have found no signs of a firm al-Qaida presence, such as terror training camps, sources said.

"Probably our worst fears have not materialized," said recently retired CIA counterterrorism official Paul Pillar.

But Pillar said events in Mogadishu this week are "somewhat similar" to how the Taliban ended infighting by Afghan warlords in the 1990s, brought peace to a war weary country and gave sanctuary to bin Laden's training camps. Pillar said the CIA is likely telling its operatives to "collect, collect, collect" intelligence urgently.

"Having a place to stage attacks in that area is going to be attractive" to al-Qaida, warned former National Counterterrorism Center chief John Brennan.

Michael Scheuer, a former CIA bin Laden hunter, said he first heard of al-Qaida in a secret 1992 report on Somalia. They see it now as "a base for rest, training and access to Yemen and Saudi Arabia," he said.

"It's too early to tell, but it certainly is worrisome," added a current U.S. counterterrorism official.

The most prominent bin Laden henchman spotted at Friday prayers in a Mogadishu mosque was Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, indicted for the U.S. Embassy and Israeli resort attacks.

Fazul speaks five languages, is a master of disguise and has links to Somalia's most prominent jihadi group, whose young leader was trained in Afghanistan. The FBI has said Fazul could strike America.

"There is plenty of evidence to suggest (Fazul) remains determined to carry out further acts of terrorism," the think tank International Crisis Group noted in a report last July.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com