US Fears Al Qaida Linked To Somali Pirates' Hijacking Of Saudi Oil Tanker

CNN:

U.S. military officials expressed concern Monday that Somali militants believed to be potentially affiliated with al Qaeda may become involved in the hijacking of a supertanker off eastern Africa.

Five armored vehicles loaded with al-Shabab fighters arrived in the central Somali coastal town of Harardhere this weekend, near where pirates are holding the massive Saudi Arabian oil tanker Sirius Star, said Ahmed Mohamed, a local resident.

Read the whole story: CNN

Comments

[Durango]

01:24 PM on 11/28/2008

So Bush ignores the piracy issue in Somalia until someone makes the claim it is al Qaida related.

This is probably the CIA's attempt to get Bush to focus on Somalia. Make it al Qaida and MAYBE he will pay attention.

Of course that hasn't worked so well in Afghanistan has it?

Does anyone actually have a good grasp on what is happening in Somalia?

[jsgaetano]

10:56 AM on 11/25/2008

Oooohhh the boogieman of Al Queso is scaring conservatives into yellowing their underwear. As usual.

This is just more of the same. The Bushites ignore a problem until it effects their core constituency, Saudi Arabia. EVERYTHING Bush has done in the White House, he's done to benefit Saudi Arabia.

This is no different.

[dissanayake]

09:47 AM on 11/25/2008

It is hardly credible that a rag tag band of poor somalis would have the sophistication to mastermind
the negotiations and planning to proces the negotiations for a ransome.International piracy of this magnitude is more than just boarding a vessel. Al Qaida may behind it all along. A hundred million $ could buy access to pakistans nuclear bomb or uranium.

[Sarahjan]

09:43 AM on 11/25/2008

Octo

Your point is right on the mark. However, I believe that Somalis will resist whereas the American people have failed to resist the looting of their wealth by corporate thieaves.

http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=2852

[octo]

01:18 PM on 11/25/2008

Good point.

[Terminal1]

09:19 AM on 11/25/2008

I am going to blame my ingrown toe-nail on AQ...

[ribe8g]

07:11 AM on 11/25/2008

Of course. They are the universal bogeymen. Oh, I'm so
frightened. FUSA.

[canarypapers]

06:41 AM on 11/25/2008

Ah, the mysterious ways in which Bush, Cheney & Co. move. (1) Declare an al Qaeda presence in an oil-strategic region. (2) Stage war, either overt or by-proxy, slaughtering as much of the population as necessary to seizing control of the region's oil or pipelines. (3) Install a puppet regime.

In the case of Somalia (strategic for its newly-discovered oil + its proximity to the shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa) Bush-Cheney declared an al Qaeda presence in 2006, shortly before the U.S. began its proxy war -- arming & training Ethiopians troops to invade Somalia and (in the words of Amnesty International) "kill, rape and torture," and, in some neighborhoods, "slaughtering Somalis like goats" -- killing them by slashing their throats. Today, 3.5 million Somalis have been displaced and face starvation. The UN calls it "the worst human disaster in Africa."

So it was only a matter of time before al Qaeda was discovered in the shipping lanes off Somalia. I've been watching this piracy story unfold -- seeing the invisible hand of Bush-Cheney at work. I wouldn't be surprised to later learn that they'd gone into the business of piracy-by-proxy.

Hopefully, once Obama has a chance to mop-up the globe-toppling disasters Bush & Cheney have left on the homefront, we can urge Obama to address the many war crimes being committed in Africa, under the guise of humanitarian or peacekeeping missions and/or the war on terror.

[Jamesdean]

05:56 AM on 11/25/2008

the day is not far when the administration starts blaming Al Qaida for hurricanes.

[sparkey]

07:08 AM on 11/25/2008

I'm surprised that the current crooked administration hasn't blamed Al Qaida for Obama's win in the election.

[gifu]

05:22 AM on 11/25/2008

Al Qaeda my left nut. Can we please move on?

[xxnounxx]

04:37 AM on 11/25/2008

Breaking news the US beleives the cause of the fires in california is linked to al qaeda,so is hurricane katerina,and hurricane,john,delores,carmen miranda and whatever lovely names are given to destruction..
oh and al qaeda put obama in the white house as their spy.

these somali are desperate theives that have nothing to loose by piracy,,either way they will either die in gun battle,or die of hunger.
so they chose piracy

[CologneCitizen]

01:46 AM on 11/25/2008

I am more than happy for you Americans the election is over and Barack has won. Imagine this conflict escalating and overshadowing the financial crisis. McCain, who knows "how to win wars" would have shamelessly used this in his favor.

[ctznjoe]

12:43 AM on 11/25/2008

The pirates are desperate thugs.They are not religious fanatics.

[Pdubya]

12:20 AM on 11/25/2008

9-11 9-11 9-11

colonel at the navy war college that studies terrorism called them criminal thieves, not terrorists.


send rudy in a dinghy.

[darthdarcy]

12:06 AM on 11/25/2008

I said that as soon as it happened this hijacking was different then some others and Saudi Arabia is a target of al-Qaeda...

al-Qaeda has a strong long time presence in Somalia..so it only follows amongst the pirates as well..

[ribe8g]

09:38 AM on 11/25/2008

gullible gullible gullible life is but a dream.

[Durango]

01:28 PM on 11/28/2008

Does anyone really have a grasp on what is happening in Somalia?

It would not surprise me in the least that the Somali pirates might look to al Qaida for help.

Or not.

But is that even relevant? The piracy is a threat to world commerce similar to other terrorism. It might be home grown, might be linked with bigger groups.

But it has to be dealt with no matter who is behind it.

[octo]

11:55 PM on 11/24/2008

And so begins the start of a new propaganda campaign to stir up support among the gullible American populace for that great nation's first significant romp into Africa.

Somalia looks just about ripe for the plucking by the great imperial bully boys.

Democracy.... freedom.... yes, show us how it's done one more time, because we didn't quite get it the last time.