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Washington: The US military has been active in the Horn of Africa for more than four years, operating from a former French Foreign Legion base in Djibouti to check the spread of Al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants. The US military has mainly focused on developing military ties in the region, but went on the offensive this week with an air strike in southern Somalia that the Pentagon said targeted Al-Qaeda's main leaders in the region.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that the attack was carried out by a fixed wing AC-130 gunship, but has been mum on virtually all other aspects of the operation, including who was hit.
The US military has 1,700 military personnel assigned to its Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, which is headquartered in Djibouti at Camp Lemonier, a former French Foreign Legion base with an airfield.
About 100 US military personnel from the task force are in Ethiopia helping to train the Ethiopian army, whose forces spearheaded an offensive in Somalia that routed an Islamic fundamentalist militia from Mogadishu.
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower is currently in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast with a full complement of surveillance aircraft, fighters and electronic warfare planes.
In addition, the US Navy has an amphibious ship USS Ashland, the cruisers USS Bunker Hill and USS Anzio, and the destroyer USS Ramage in the Indian Ocean.
“We're keeping a close watch on Somalia,” a US defense official said.
The surface ships can carry unmanned surveillance aircraft although officials would not say whether any are deployed in the region.
The aircraft carriers carry E2-Hawkeye surveillance planes and EA-6B Prowlers, which are designed for electronic warfare.
About 6,500 sailors are with the ships. It was unknown whether any marines are aboard the Ashland.
Monday's air strike in southern Somalia was the first overt US military operation in that country since 1994, but it is not unprecedented.
A top Al-Qaeda leader was killed in Yemen in November 2002 with a missile fired from a CIA-operated drone at his vehicle.
US military teams have worked to develop relations with militaries in the region, engaging in joint training and exercises, and taken part in humanitarian relief operations.
Most of the 1,700 military personnel assigned to the Horn of Africa are headquarters personnel and guard forces. But they are also are believed to include special operations forces.
Countries in the task force's area of operation include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
