10 December 2001
A group of US military officers has reportedly visited the town of Baidoa, 240 km southwest of Mogadishu, a local radio reported on Monday. The Mogadishu-based HornAfrik radio said that nine American military officers visited Baidoa on Sunday and toured military facilities, including the airport, in and around the town. According to the radio, a senior Rahanweyn Resistance Army (RRA) official Muhammad Adan Qalinle, who is the governor of Baidoa, has confirmed the presence of the American officers.
The RRA controls Baidoa and the regions of Bay and Bakol. When contacted by IRIN, a US Embassy official declined to confirm or deny the story. Qalinle is reported to have said the RRA would welcome "any outside forces who are fighting terrorism" in its area of control, the Agence France Presse (AFP) reported. The RRA is a member of the Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), which is a grouping of southern factions opposed to the TNG.
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