Battle of Ras Kamboni
Part of the Somalia War (2006–2009)
Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa

Battle of Ras Kamboni, US & Ethiopian Airstrikes
DateJanuary 5–12, 2007
Location
Near Ras Kamboni, Somalia
Result TFG/Ethiopian victory
Belligerents
Islamic Courts Union
Pro-Islamist militias
Foreign fighters[1]
al-Qaeda		 Somalia Transitional Federal Government (TFG)
 Ethiopia
 United States
Commanders and leaders

Sharif Sheik Ahmed
Yusuf Hassan
Yusuf Mohammed Siad Inda'ade

Abdirahman Janaqow

Somalia TFG: Barre Adan Shire Hiiraale
Somalia Abdirisak Afgadud
United States Timothy Ghormley[2]

Maritime Security:
United States Patrick M. Walsh
Casualties and losses
Around 60 dead, 100 wounded in airstrikes[3]

The Battle of Ras Kamboni was a battle in the Somalia War (2006–2009) fought by the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and affiliated militias against Ethiopian and the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces for control of Ras Kamboni (1°38′20″S 41°35′17″E / 1.63889°S 41.58806°E / -1.63889; 41.58806), a town near the Kenyan border which once served as a training camp for the militant Islamist group Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya.

The battle began on January 5, 2007, when TFG and Ethiopian forces launched their assault. On January 7, 2007, the United States entered the conflict by launching airstrikes using an AC-130 gunship against suspected Al Qaeda members operating within the ranks of the ICU.[4] International concern and controversy arose over civilian casualties in additional airstrikes around Ras Kamboni and in Afmadow province, and whether these were the result of U.S. actions or Ethiopian aircraft operating in the area. The town finally fell to the TFG and Ethiopian forces on January 12, 2007.[5]

Background

U.S. security concerns in the Horn of Africa, particularly at Ras Kamboni, heightened after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. On December 16, 2001, Paul Wolfowitz said the U.S. was meeting with various Somali and Ethiopian contacts to "observe, survey possible escape routes, possible sanctuaries" for Al Qaeda operatives.[6] On March 2, 2002 a briefing was held in the Pentagon discussing the possible use of Ras Kamboni by terrorist groups, including al-Ittihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) and Al Qaeda.[7] In December 2002, the U.S. established the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) to monitor developments in the region and to train local militaries in counterterrorism.[8] When Ethiopian troops entered the Somalian conflict in December 2006, a small number of U.S. special forces accompanied them to give military advice and to track suspected al-Qaida fighters.[9]

On December 28, 2006, withdrawal of the ICU to Ras Kamboni was reported as a possibility after the Fall of Mogadishu to Somali TFG and Ethiopian forces.[10]

After their loss at the Battle of Jilib and the Fall of Kismayo on January 1, 2007, ICU fighters split into different groups, with some heading northwest towards Dhobley (0°24′35″N 41°0′21″E / 0.40972°N 41.00583°E / 0.40972; 41.00583) and Afmadow,[11] others moving to the remote, hilly areas of Buur Gaabo, and the remainder withdrawing southwest towards the peninsula town of Ras Kamboni.[12]

On January 2, 2007, Ethiopian MiG jets began to patrol over Ras Kamboni but no attacks were reported.[13] U.S. Marines operating from Lamu, Kenya, were said to be assisting Kenyan forces patrolling the border with Somalia to intercept Islamists.[14]

Unknown gunmen thought to be Somali Islamists fired shots at a Kenyan security helicopter patrolling near the border with Somalia. The helicopter was flying over the southeastern Kenyan border town of Hulugho. The report did not say if the aircraft was damaged but said gunmen fired small arms from the region of Ras Kamboni, the base for the fleeing Islamists.[15]

The United States Fifth Fleet's Carrier Strike Group 8, along with the British-led multinational maritime task force, Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150),[16][17] based out of Bahrain[18] are patrolling off the Somali coast to prevent terrorists from launching an "attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material", said Commander Kevin Aandahl.[19] The U.S. ships deployed to the area include the USS Ramage guided missile destroyer, the USS Bunker Hill and USS Anzio guided missile cruisers, the USS Ashland amphibious landing ship and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier.[9][20]

Battle

January 5

On January 5, 2007, TFG Defense Minister Colonel Barre Aden Shirre Hiiraale announced: "Today we will launch a massive assault on the Islamic courts militias. We will use infantry troops and fighter jets... They have dug huge trenches around Ras Kamboni but have only two options: to drown in the sea or to fight and die."[21]

January 6

Fighting continued January 6 in the forests south of Kismayo near the Kenyan border, where it was reported the Islamists were holding out armed with over 100 technicals.[22]

January 8

On January 8, 2007, Col. Hiraale announced TFG and Ethiopian forces were close to entering Ras Kamboni after two days of fierce battles.[23]

Premature reports came of the fall of Ras Kamboni. One was from TFG member Abdirashid Hidig.[24] A second came from a TFG military divisional commander, Abdirisak Afgadud (alternately spelled Abdulrasaq Afgebub): "Our forces accompanied by our Ethiopian friends have totally cracked down on the remnants of the Islamists in the border area."[25][26] Defense Minister Hiraale corrected and clarified the reports, saying fighting was ongoing. 50 wounded Ethiopian troops were reported evacuated by helicopter.[27]

To the north of Ras Kamboni, elsewhere in Badhadhe province, an Ethiopian force intercepted Islamist forces in the area of the Kenyan border town of Amuma, Garissa district. Seven vehicles were destroyed. A platoon of Kenyan border police were in the area to enforce the border closure.[28] In Afmadow province, Ethiopia launched airstrikes against targets near Afmadow and Dhobley.[11]

Also on January 8, it was reported that an AC-130 gunship belonging to the United States military had attacked a suspected Al-Qaeda operative, along with other Islamist fighters, on Badmadow Island (possibly the island located at 1°36′42″S 41°36′42″E / 1.61167°S 41.61167°E / -1.61167; 41.61167) near Ras Kamboni in southern Somalia the day before (January 7).[4] The aircraft flew out of its base in Djibouti. The U.S. reported 8 - 10 deaths, mostly Somalis, but the identity of the dead or wounded was not yet established. Reports said DNA testing was being done to establish identities but U.S. sources denied that the top al-Qaida targets were among those killed.[9] "The U.S. were trying to kill the al-Qaeda terrorists who carried out the bomb attacks on their embassies in Kenya and Tanzania", Deputy Prime Minister Hussein Aideed told The Associated Press. "They have our full support for the attacks."[29]

The targeted leaders were tracked by the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as they headed south from Mogadishu starting on December 28.[30] It was also reported the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower had been moved into striking distance.[31]

January 9

On January 9, a second AC-130 strike was reported at Hayo (also Xayo or Hayi, approx. Lat 0º28' N, Long 41º49' E) on the road between the provincial capital of Afmadow and Dhobley (Doble) near the Kenyan border. Later more reports stated that more than 50, mostly Islamist leaders, have died in U.S. air strikes.[32] A strike by two unidentified attack helicopters was also reported hitting near Afmadow (0°30′56″N 42°4′24″E / 0.51556°N 42.07333°E / 0.51556; 42.07333). Somali Defense Ministry personnel stated this was a third U.S. attack, but eyewitness accounts could not establish the nationality of the helicopters. Unconfirmed reports claimed the attacks killed 31 civilians.[33] It was later asserted by a U.S. military official the helicopters may have been Ethiopian Mi-24 Hinds.[34] This would not have been the first case of off-target airstrikes for the Ethiopian attack helicopters. On January 3, they had attacked Harehare village, across the Kenyan border, mistaking it for Islamist positions at the town of Dhobley.[35]

January 10

On January 10, Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman identified Somalia as part of the war on terror: "As we pursue the war on terror we will seek out, attempt to identify, locate, capture and if necessary kill terrorists and to thwart their activities."[36] A second planned attack was reportedly called off after losing track of the target.[37]

Also on this day, a pair of reports arose which were covered widely in the media, but later contradicted by U.S. sources.

The first was a report by Somali presidential chief of staff, Abdirizak Hassan, who stated the U.S. airstrikes had killed Al Qaeda member Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, and leaders of the Islamic Courts Union including Abduallahi Moalim Ali (former chief of security for Mogadishu), Abdirahman Janaqow, and a third unidentified person. The bodies had reportedly been recovered by Ethiopian military personnel.[38] This report was refuted the next day by a confidential U.S. source, who said the hunt for the three Al Qaeda members continues, though it was not mentioned whether the other ICU leaders mentioned were alive or dead.[39]

The second report mentioned at least four more AC-130 airstrikes targeted Ras Kamboni. Other sites were also said to have been targeted by U.S. aircraft around southern Somalia. Somali politician Abdirashid Mohamed Hidig toured the area by helicopter and spoke of 50 killed in the attacks. He said additional targets hit include Hayo, Garer, Bankajirow and Badmadowe. Clan elder Haji Farah Qorshel claimed 64 people were killed and 100 wounded around Afmadow in three days of attacks.[3] However, confidential sources denied the additional attacks were made by the U.S. Ethiopian aircraft are also known to be operating in the combat area.[40]

January 11

On January 11, the American ambassador to Kenya said that the U.S. claimed Al-Qaeda suspect Fazul Abdullah Mohammed was actually still alive and that none of the Al-Qaeda members were killed in the air attack but some members of the ICU were killed.[41] Later in the day, anonymous U.S. sources stated that U.S. forces from the CIA's elite Special Activities Division were on the ground in Somalia targeting and then identifying the persons who had been killed in the gunship attack.[42][43]

January 12

On January 12, TFG Defense Minister Barre Aden Shirre Hiiraale announced Ras Kamboni had fallen to the Somali government and Ethiopian forces after five days of heavy fighting. Remnants of the Islamist forces were being pursued into the nearby forests and fighting would continue.[5] A small team of U.S. forces investigated the site of the U.S. gunship attack to search for information about the identity and fate of the targeted individuals.[44]

January 17

Theresa Whelan, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs, in a press conference said she believed the raid killed eight soldiers of Aden Hashi Farah Ayro, head of an Islamist militia. Ayro was believed to have been wounded in the attack and perhaps killed.[45]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Former Members of Radical Somali Group Give Details of Their Group". Voice of America. 2007-01-07. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  2. ↑ Tisdall, Simon (2007-01-09). "Clash of agendas". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  3. 1 2 "al-Qaida Chief in Somalia May Be Dead". London: Associated Press. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  4. 1 2 "Aircraft Attack Al Qaeda Haven, Ike Moves off Somalia". American Forces Press Service. 2007-01-09. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  5. 1 2 "Islamic hideout in Somalia said captured". Associated Press. 2007-01-12. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  6. ↑ Reeve, Simon (2001-12-16). "U.S. returning to a nightmare called Somalia". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  7. ↑ "Terrorist Threat in Horn of Africa" (Press release). United States Department of State. 2002-03-08. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  8. ↑ "Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa". globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  9. 1 2 3 "Al-Qaida suspects still alive in Somalia". AP. January 11, 2007. Archived from the original on January 9, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  10. ↑ "Somalia: ICU hardliners left Mogadishu to unknown location". Shabelle Media Networks. 2006-12-28. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  11. 1 2 "Ethiopian fighter jets bomb southern Somalia". Shabelle Media Networks. 2007-01-08. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ↑ "Somali Islamists on the run". Reuters. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  13. ↑ "Islamic militants wedged against the sea". Associated Press. 2007-01-02. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  14. ↑ "Kibaki meets Somalia president as tension at border persists". The Standard (Kenya). 2007-01-03. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  15. ↑ "Somalia: Gunmen shot at Kenyan helicopter". Somalinet. 2007-01-03. Archived from the original on 17 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  16. ↑ "Combined Task Force 150 Maintains Presence Off East Coast of Africa". United States Navy. 2007-01-05. Archived from the original on 9 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  17. ↑ "Navy tries to block fleeing jihadists from Somalia". Air Force Times, Staff and wire reports. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  18. ↑ "Navy searching for terrorists trying to flee Somalia". Navy Times, Staff report. 2007-01-05. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  19. ↑ "Thousands Flee Somalia Fighting". Associated Press. 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  20. ↑ "Ramage, Bunker Hill keeping an eye on Somalia". MarineTimes.com. 2007-01-04. Retrieved 2007-01-04.
  21. ↑ Kennedy, Elizabeth (2008-01-05). "Somalia's Islamists Vow to Heed al-Qaida". Associated Press. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  22. ↑ "Fighting between Islamists and government forces continues near the Kenyan border". Shabelle Media Network. 2006-01-06. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved 2006-01-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  23. ↑ "Somali president in capital as interim government tries to establish control". Canadian Press. 2008-01-08. Archived from the original on 2007-05-06. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  24. ↑ "Islamic Militant Jungle Hideout Captured". Associated Press. 2007-01-08. Archived from the original on May 7, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  25. ↑ "Somalia: Commander says military operations over". Garowe Online. 2008-01-07. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  26. ↑ "Rebels driven out from Somalia south: govt. commander". The News Pakistan. 2007-01-10. Archived from the original on May 6, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  27. ↑ "Islamic Jungle Hideout Near Capture". Associated Press. 2008-01-08. Archived from the original on 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  28. ↑ "Kenya: Seven Islamic militia vehicles destroyed in battle". SomaliNet. 2007-01-08. Archived from the original on 17 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  29. ↑ "US Somalia attack leaves many dead: govt". Melbourne: Associated Press. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  30. ↑ "Reports say U.S. targeted al Qaeda suspects in Somalia". Reuters. 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  31. ↑ "U.S. targets al Qaeda suspects in Somalia, Pentagon official says". CNN. 2007-01-08. Archived from the original on January 10, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-08.
  32. ↑ Gentleman, Jeffrey (2007-01-09). "More Than 50 Die in U.S. Strikes in Somalia". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  33. ↑ "U.S. Again Attacks Somali Militants". Associated Press. 2007-01-09. Archived from the original on 11 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-09.
  34. ↑ "U.S. Reportedly Targeted 20 in Somalia". The Guardian. London. 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  35. ↑ "Kenya boosts troop presence after assault on border post". Associated Press. 2007-01-03. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  36. ↑ "Pentagon says Somalia attack not the end". 2007-01-09. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  37. ↑ "Official: 2nd U.S. Attack in Somalia Called Off". Fox News. 2007-01-10. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  38. ↑ "Pentagon says Somalia attack not the end". 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  39. ↑ "Official: Somalia strike missed al Qaeda suspects". CNN. Associated Press. 2007-01-11. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  40. ↑ "U.S denies reports of new Somalia air strikes". Reuters. 2007-01-10. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
  41. ↑ "Al-Qaida suspects still alive in Somalia". AP. 2007-01-11. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  42. ↑ McCrummen, Stephanie (2007-01-11). "U.S. Troops Went Into Somalia After Raid". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-11.
  43. ↑ "Target of U.S. strike wanted for multiple attacks". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2020-09-23.
  44. ↑ "U.S. troops seek airstrike dead in Somalia". United Press International. 2007-01-12. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  45. ↑ "U.S. raid may have hit top Somali militant: Pentagon". Reuters. January 17, 2006. Retrieved 2006-01-17.
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