Kenya gets mired in Somalia, and U.S. involvement rapidly expands
American air force base in Arba Minch, in Ethiopia (Washington Post)
President Mwai Kibak defended Kenyas decision to carry out a military action against al-Shabaab militia in Somalia, saying that its not a war against Somalia. He made it clear there is no turning back and that the operation against al-Shabaab would continue until Kenyas national security and economic interests are secured. Al-Shabaab is an affiliate of al-Qaeda. At the same time, Somalias Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohammed Ali said in a statement that his country and Kenya shared a common strategy against al-Shabaab. The Somali Government views the fights against al-Shabaab extremists as direct support extended to the Somali people and as an action that will improve the security of Somalia, Kenya, and of the entire Horn of Africa. Standard Media (Kenya)
American expands its Arba Minch Air Force base in Ethiopia
After repeatedly denying that America had any bases in the region, the Air Force finally confirmed Thursday that an air base at Arba Minch, in Ethiopia, became operational early this year, and that it has been secretly flying Reaper drones over Somalia as part of a rapidly expanding U.S.-led proxy war against al-Shabaab. The Air Force has invested millions of dollars to upgrade an airfield in Arba Minch, Ethiopia, where it has built a small annex to house a fleet of drones that can be equipped with Hellfire missiles and satellite-guided bombs. An early version of this story reported that the drones were armed, but the Washington Post later corrected the story to say that the drones are unarmed and have been used only for surveillance and collecting intelligence. However, the Pentagon did not rule out arming them in the future. Washington Post
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