Are Somali Training Camps A Direct Threat Against The West?

Al-Shabab militia fighters. (Photo from Islamization Watch)

Somali Training Camps Fuel Threat Of Attacks On The US -- Philadelphia Inquirer/AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The recruits gather in scorching desert hideouts in Somalia, use portraits of President Barack Obama for target practice, learn how to make and detonate bombs, and vow allegiance to Osama bin Laden.

Training camps in the lawless nation of Somalia are attracting hundreds of foreigners, including Americans, and Somalis recruited by a local insurgent group linked to al-Qaida, according to local and U.S. officials. American officials and private analysts say the camps pose a security threat far beyond the borders of Somalia, including to the U.S. homeland.

Read more ....

My Comment: This reminds me of the news stories from the 1990s when intelligence officers were voicing their concerns about Al Qaeda and extremist training camps in Afghanistan. Hmmmm ..... it seems that history is repeating itself.

Islamist Uprising Kills 81 In Somalia

From The Telegraph:

Fresh fighting between Islamist insurgents and Somali government troops in Mogadishu has killed at least 81 people in two days, witnesses reported yesterday.

A further 119 wounded civilians and soldiers were being treated in hospital after a weekend of mortar attacks and small-arms battles.

"There was a lot of fighting we could hear on Saturday, mostly guns and grenades, then much more today," said a doctor contacted by telephone yesterday at the Save Our Souls Hospital.

Read more ....

My Comment: This war .... even though it has been going on for the past 20 years .... is only starting.