Pentagon confirms U.S. troops snatched wanted al Qaida leader from streets of Libyan capital

[unhappycamper]

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/10/05/204419/pentagon-confirms-us-troops-snatched.html



Gunmen in a three-car convoy seized Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, an al-Qaeda leader connected to the 1998 embassy bombings in eastern Africa and wanted by the U.S. for more than a decade

Pentagon confirms U.S. troops snatched wanted al Qaida leader from streets of Libyan capital
Published: October 5, 2013 Updated 9 hours ag0
By James Rosen — McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — U.S. special forces in Libya on Saturday captured a senior al Qaida leader who’d been sought since 1998 for involvement in the coordinated bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Pentagon press secretary George Little confirmed late Saturday that Nazih Abdul-Hamed al Ruqai, known by his alias as Abu Anas al Libi, was being held by "the U.S. military in a secure location outside of Libya."

Little said only that al Libi’s capture had been "the result of a U.S. counter-terrorism operation," but al Libi’s relatives in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, told reporters that gunmen in a three-car convoy seized him outside his home Saturday in an early-morning raid.

Little provided no details of what U.S. authorities planned to do with al Libi, who is under U.S. federal indictment for his alleged role in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, that killed 212 people, among them two CIA employees and 10 other Americans.


on edit: add Somalia to the list --> http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/06/us-special-forces-libya-somalia

[leveymg]

1. Known to be in Tripoli for at least two years (since regime change). Local "gov't" did nothing

but complain about "the kidnap." Wonderful place, the new democratic Libya. A reliable ally for regional peace and stability. Land of the free.

"The Libyan government has been following the reports of the kidnap of one of the Libyan
citizens wanted by the authorities in the United States," a government statement said.
"As soon as it heard the reports, the Libyan government contacted the US authorities to demand an explanation."

US special forces seized Abu Anas al-Libi in a commando raid in broad daylight on Saturday, sealing a 15-year manhunt for the top al Qaeda suspect.

A source close to Libi said he was snatched by armed men in Tripoli.

Libi, who was on the FBI's most wanted list with a $5 million reward, was indicted in US federal court in New York for allegedly playing a key role in deadly 1998 bombings of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/RestOfAsia/Tripoli-protests-US-kidnap-of-Libyan-in-Qaeda-raid/Article1-1131723.aspx

[xchrom]

2. U.S. targets Qaeda, Shabab leaders

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/somalia-raid-navy-seals-97884.html?hp=l1

WASHINGTON— U.S. forces raided a Somali coastal town looking for a “high-value” al-Shabab terror suspect, the Pentagon confirmed Saturday. They also captured Abu Anas al Libi, a Libyan Al-Qaeda leader wanted for his role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in East Africa, citing American officials.

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a statement: “I can confirm that yesterday, October 4, U.S. military personnel were involved in a counter terrorism operation against a known al-Shabaab terrorist. We are not prepared to provide additional detail at this time.”

A U.S. official said no U.S. personnel were injured or killed in the fighting, and they disengaged after inflicting casualties among al-Shabab militants, who have claimed responsibility for the Kenyan mall attacks in which 67 people were killed.

The pre-dawn raid on a house in the town of Barawe targeted a specific Al-Qaeda suspect related to the mall attack, but the operation did not get its target, one current and one former U.S. military official told the AP. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the raid publicly.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/somalia-raid-navy-seals-97884.html#ixzz2gwiHMjXx

[agent46]

3. Now it's established

We do have troops on the ground in Libya and there will be no resistance to a build up now that our noble Navy Seals are there doing "what they're trained to do."

I love how this works.

No one will ever call it WW III but what exactly is this "Global War on Terror" anyway?