Is Somalia The Second Target Of US Strikes?

The USA received a list of 21,000 terrorists from Somalian field commanders, allegedly staying on the country's territory. The Saudi newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat wrote on Tuesday that a group of US officers met the other day in the city of Baidoa with representatives of reconciliation council which is in opposition to the interim transitional government of Somalia. During the meeting, the commander of the so-called Rahanwein Resistance Army handed over to Americans a list of terrorists, mainly members of the Islamic Alliance and another three fundamentalist groupings which, it is believed, may be connected with the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. The interim transitional government asserts that the Islamic Alliance disintegrated long ago and there are no terrorists or militants of al-Qaeda on the territory of Somalia. At the same time the government welcomes the armed interference of the USA if it will lead to stability and security and will strengthen the central power in the country. The newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat cites the opinion of a number of western experts who express serious doubts concerning the expediency of the US military operation in Somalia. The local gangs which control various regions of the country will use Americans for settling scores with each other under the pretext of "the struggle against terrorism", the experts believe.