Third time's the charm?

In recent years the U.S. has limited its actions in Somalia to attacks by long range missiles and drones. But this action was direct and put American troops, however briefly, on Somali soil. By successfully targetting Nabhan, the U.S. shows that it has precise strategic information.

via globalpost.com

US efforts in 1993 (admittedly aimed at a different target set and with a different overall objective) proved unsuccessful and damaged the US military's reputation (despite the performance of the troops on the ground). US efforts in recent years to chase after a few AQ leaders were clumsy and often strengthened the hand of extremists without successfully eliminating the point targets. Efforts such as could prove far more effective: little collateral damage to focus Somali anger, the removal of key AQ leaders in a territory where they hoped to have freedom of movement and action, and increasing paranoia within the organization based on US ability to specifically target individuals.

Posted via web from Team Frosick