Aerial bombardment of Somalia by US

Here we have an aerial relic of the 1980's namely a Somali MiG fighter shot down over Hargeisa, now being the centrepiece of the Victory Monument in downtown Hargeisa.

Today we have heard about aerial bombardment by the US on suspected Al-Qaeda operatives in the far south of Somalia. Rest assured, they were not using aircraft like this. Oh no, the aircraft used were AC-130's, heavily armed gunship that has detection equipment and can work under the cover of darkness and which have very little chance of being shot down by conventional arms.

I find the business very disturbing. For a start, the whole Al-Qaeda organisation seems to be at least a figment of its own and US propaganda than a real organisation, serving a purpose for both. But what is exactly membership of such an organisation? Do they carry cards ith a membership number? Or is it any Muslim group with terrorist purposes?

Secondly, as I have said before I think aerial bombing is a very cowardly way of going to war.

Thirdly, given that so many so-called Al-Qaeda operatives have been recruited and trained in Europe, de sthe US resrve the right to go bombing, say, university campuses in the UK if they have 'intelligence' of plotting of dastardly deeds there (because it certainly happens)?

Fourthly, Somalia now has an historical opportunity to make peace with itself, with the attention of the whole world, including even the new head of the UN (whose first task may be to sack the UN representative to Somalia (and Somaliland) a rather nasty piece of work named Mr Fall). The US, having encouraged the illegal Ethiopian invasion, has a large part to play in the reconciliation process, in which case the unilateral bombing of Somali sovereign territory is hardly the best place to start, esepcially when considering where they last left off.

Lastly, we have yet another example of the US bombing an Islamic country in a so-called war against terror but which can easily be seen, by those who want to, as a war on Islam.

Please let us have more emphasis on national reconciliation and less warmongering. Because before you know it, the much predicted counter-insurgency will become a reality, giving Somalis another ten or more year of violence and uncertainty.