US Strike On 'Terror Bases' Looms

The possibility of an American and British military strike against alleged terrorist bases in Somalia grew closer Wednesday after it was revealed that US soldiers had discovered a possible link between Islamic fundamentalists in Somalia and Al Qaeda. US soldiers searching for Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters in the Afghan mountains are reported to have discovered a satellite positioning device that is said to have belonged to a US commando killed in Somalia in 1993.

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German Planes Step Up Spying Mission

Two more German Navy surveillance craft flew out of Moi International Airport (MIA) yesterday after the first successful technical flight to the Horn of Africa on Tuesday. The planes that flew out Wednesday, on the second day of the mission, were Marine 6108 and Marine 6104.

Hussein Aideed Accuses Eritrea, Libya And Djibouti

Current Chairman of the Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council, Hussein Mohamed Farah Aideed has accused Eritrea, Djibouti, and Libya of collaborating in the supply and delivery of armaments to groups in the country. Aideed told journalists that the shipments were flown in to an airport outside Mogadishu on March 5,8,9 and 10, by an Airline based in the United Arab Emirates.

Looking Back... US Forces in Somalia, 1992-'93

Mark Jackson Helicopters evacuate wounded U.S. soldiers from Mogadishu's soccer stadium after the firefight in Somalia's capital on October 3, 1993 that left 18 Americans dead and 73 wounded and claimed an untold toll among Somalis as well. The incident became the centerpiece for Black Hawk Down, a book by Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mark Bowden, and the movie by the same name released this month.

FROM ALLAFRICA'S REPORTERS:

Hints of U.S. Action in Somalia Cause Puzzlement

The Bush administration has said it is taking a hard look at Somalia, though it continues to be vague about its real intentions there. The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) has been asked to come up with a military plan, but claiming that is "routine" contingency planning, a source close to the administration said "no policy decision has been made yet." Horn of Africa analysts say the region's political situation is complex and urge Washington to tread carefully.

Somalia: Survey of a Crisis, 1992-3: Special Africa News Report

Several Perspectives on Somalia from Foreign Policy in Focus

World Press Coverage of Somalia

CNN: Somalis cheer at 'Black Hawk Down' screening

CNN: U.S. seeks allies against terror in Somalia

Le Monde Diplomatique (English): Horn of Africa: al-Qaida regroups?

Le Monde Diplomatique (English): Somalia re-invents itself

UK Guardian: Back to hell

Al-Ahram Weekly: All the King's Horses

Al-Ahram Weekly: Out of Arta

BBC: E. Africa Summit Agrees Talks

Pew Research Center: Americans Favor Force in Iraq, Somalia, Sudan and