Somalis say foreign fighters killed
Battles follow shelling by US warship of suspected al-Qaeda fighters on the run.
By speedboat
Earlier, Mohamed Abdulrahman Banga, Puntland’s minister of information, said that the armed members of the Islamic Courts Union arrived in two fishing boats from southern Somalia, which they controlled for six months last year before being routed by Ethiopian troops sent to prop up a faltering interim government.
“They had their own small boats and guns. We do not know exactly where they came from – maybe from Ras Kamboni, where they were cornered in January,” he said.
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Fishermen said about a dozen fighters arrived on Wednesday, but Puntland officials said the number could be as high as 35.
Muse Gelle, the regional governor, said that area where the fighters arrived on Wednesday – the port of Bargaal – is a dense thicket, making it difficult for Puntland security forces to intervene on their own.
A radio station quoted Ade Muse, Puntland’s leader, as saying that his forces had battled with the group for hours before the US ships arrived and used their cannons.
Muse said five of his soldiers were wounded, but that he had no information about casualties among the fighters.
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Adow said that members of the Islamic Courts Union were believed to be hiding out in the region since they were beaten in early January.
Al-Qaeda suspect
The destroyer’s guns appeared to be targeting a single person, perhaps moving in a convoy, according to the CNN report.
The US launched air strikes in Somalia in January targeting three alleged al-Qaeda members but killing their allies instead, US officials have said.
Those suspects also were wanted for the embassy bombings, which killed 240 people.