US To Set Up Anchor Base In Somalia

The US Armed Forces are to set up an anchor base in the city of Bosaso, north-eastern Somalia, for the sake of conducting military operations on the territory of that country, Saudi Arabia's Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper writes today. Bosaso, which is located on the shore of the Gulf of Aden, is Somalia's main commercial sea-port. According to the paper, a group of Americans is already staying there. US Marines are to arrive in Bosaso during the next two weeks, subsequently upgrading local port facilities, so that US warships could cast anchor there. Meanwhile units commanded by Col. Abdallah Yusuf, the former "president" of the self-proclaimed Bondiland republic, who is supported by Ethiopia, seized Dahir on Thursday. His units intend to capture Bosaso on Saturday. Ethiopia, which is setting up paramilitary units from among Somalian groups, intends to use such units for attacking the Somalian capital and deposing an interim government headed by president Salad Hassan Abdikassim, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reports. According to its sources, this will make it possible to conduct a joint anti-terrorist operation together with the United States.