Two days ago we woke to the news that the U.S. had bombed the town of Dhobley, Somalia near the border with Kenya. According to a NYTimes report, three people were wounded and the only casualties were livestock.
Why did the U.S. bomb the town? It was believed that a building in the town was being used by Al Qaeda operatives for training purposes. And, it was believed that Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, suspected to have played a part in the 1998 embassy attacks in Kenya and Tanzania and a hotel attack in Mombasa in 2002, was in the building.
The U.S. wanted to kill a terrorist.
The U.S. military is saying the attack consisted of 2 Tomahawk missiles fired from a submarine.
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Allafrica.com reported that 6 people were killed in the attack. Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan was not one of them.
The BBC reported that 6 civilians were killed and 20 were wounded.
The AP reported that people in the town talked of planes (AC-130s) flying over during and after the attack.
AC-130s were used in 2 air strikes in Somalia in early 2007.
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Did 6 people die? Did only livestock die? Was it 3 wounded or 20 wounded? Was it 2 missiles from a submarine that were fired, or was it 2 missiles and maybe an AC-130 or two that were involved in the attack?
The U.S. used highly sophisticated weaponry in an attempt to kill one man, a “terrorist.” They missed their target.
The most powerful military in the world shoots missiles at an impoverished village, hoping to kill a single man.
Certainly there are suspected “terrorists” living in the U.S., Europe, and other wealthy countries. Why not drop bombs on and shoot missiles at towns where they are believed to be living in the West?
Does collateral damage have an income level?
Does collateral damage have a skin color?
JAMES MURREN can be reached at www.vagoscribe.wordpress.com, where you can read about Somali refugees living in Ethiopia and about ethnic Somali people living in Ethiopia’s Ogaden desert.
