Suspect in Embassy Bombings Reported Killed in U.S. Airstrike
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
MOGADISHU, Somalia — A senior Al Qaeda suspect wanted for bombing American embassies in East Africa was killed in an American airstrike, a Somali official said yesterday, a report that if confirmed would mean the end of an eight-year hunt for a top target of Washington’s war on terrorism.
In Washington, American government officials said they had no reason to believe that the suspect, Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, had been killed. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information’s sensitivity.
The report came as American forces apparently launched a third day of airstrikes in southern Somalia. At least four separate strikes were reported around Ras Kamboni, on the Somali coast near the Kenyan border. Witnesses said an AC-130 gunship attacked a suspected Al Qaeda training camp.
A senior Somali government official also said a small American team has been providing military advice to Ethiopian and government forces. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information.
In Washington, an American official said it would be virtually unheard of for America to be involved in an operation of this size without “eyes on the ground.” Two senior Pentagon officials said they had heard of no plans to put any sizable contingent of Americans in Somalia.
