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U.S. seeks allies against terror in Somalia

From Jeff Koinange
CNN

BAIDOA, Somalia (CNN) -- With U.S. attention turning to Somalia as a possible next target of its war on terrorism, Washington is cultivating allies among Somalia's opposition and its neighbors.

In Baidoa, a port city about 160 miles (260 kilometers) northwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, officials of the opposition Rahawen Resistance Army say they are willing to help U.S. forces go after al Qaeda members in Somalia.

"Somalia is a perfect haven for terrorists," said Ibrahim Mohammed, the opposition group's leader. "There's no central government to speak of, we've been at war for more than 10 years and you have all kinds of bandits running around the countryside at free will. There's very little difference between Somalia and Afghanistan, and only the U.S. can help us kick them out."

U.S. cooperation may be valuable in a lawless land after a decade of civil war. Baidoa's governor, Adan Mohammed, is quick to say an added American presence could finally bring about an ever-elusive peace.

"We already have a commitment from the Americans," Mohammed said. "They came here. We had discussions, and we're moving ahead with our plans to liberate Somalia and get rid of all terrorists once and for all."

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U.S. officials have said they are concerned that members of al Qaeda, the terrorist network led by Osama bin Laden, could try to regroup in Somalia. Washington blames bin Laden for the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

But leaders of Somalia's Transitional National Government in Mogadishu have been critical of the new American interest in their country. Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, the transitional government's president, told Reuters on Friday that his country has been "terrorized" by a U.S. propaganda campaign portraying the country as a possible terrorist haven.

Abdiqassim's government has been in power for more than a year but controls little territory beyond Mogadishu. Local warlords dominate in most of the rest of the country. Abdiqassim said there are no al Qaeda bases in Somalia, but opposition groups in Baidoa said al Qaeda members are in Somalia and are even in the president's fledgling administration.

"Are they part of the al Qaeda network? Are they the creation of this international terrorist network? Do they have some association, or are they the political instrument of al Qaeda itself?" asked Adballahi Sheikh Ismail, a representative of the Somali Reconstruction and Reconciliation Council, an opposition group backed by the Ethiopians.

"That is something that is still to be discovered. There are no secrets in this world. Everybody knows the links between [the Transitional National Government] and al Qaeda."

Mogadishu denies al Qaeda ties

The Somali government denies that allegation and insists it's an opposition maneuver to lure Americans back into Somalia. U.S. troops withdrew from the country in 1994 after efforts to safeguard delivery of humanitarian aid evolved into an unsuccessful campaign against a Somali warlord, Mohammed Farah Aidid.

The effort climaxed in a bloody street battle in October 1993 that left 18 American troops and hundreds of Somalis dead. U.S. intelligence indicates the Somalis had help from al Qaeda, and some in the Pentagon said they believe bin Laden concluded from the battle that the U.S. military could be defeated simply by inflicting casualties.

But in Baidoa, residents said they would welcome Americans back.

"It wasn't us who kicked out the Americans the last time. It was the people of Mogadishu," one man said. "We want the Americans here. God bless the United States of America."

Even without the opposition's prodding, American forces already have taken an active interest in Somalia. U.S. reconnaissance planes and warships have been monitoring Somalia for signs of al Qaeda activity, and the Bush administration placed the Somali money transfer outlet al Barakaat on a list of banks possibly used by al Qaeda members.

In Somalia, where al Barakaat operated everything from banks to mobile phone networks, company officials have denied they are helping bin Laden's network.

Fragile relationship with Ethiopia

Washington also has discussed with neighboring Ethiopia the possibility of using ground forces against any al Qaeda bases that might be found.

Senior Somali government sources said Ethiopian forces already are running a military camp deep in the deserts of Somalia, but neither Ethiopia nor the Somali opposition will confirm or deny its presence.

Ethiopian troops have staged at least two incursions into the breakaway Somali state of Puntland across their southeastern border since December. Residents said a contingent of Ethopian troops have been in Baidoa to train Rahawen Resistance Army fighters as well.

An already-fragile relationship between the administration in Mogadishu and the Ethiopian government is quickly coming undone, which could lead to a bitter renewal of an old rivalry.

That rivalry has has been responsible for tens of thousands of deaths during the Ogaden War in the late 1970s, when both countries battled over a worthless strip of desert.

-- CNN.com writer Matt Smith contributed to this report.