Concern mounts over civilian casualties in Somalia

The round of US air strikes in Somalia earlier this week did not kill any of the three al-Qaeda suspects they targeted. Now, diplomats and the general public alike are expressing concern over civilian casualties, and are worried that US attacks will make Somalia even more unstable.

The three air strikes were aimed at Al-Qaeda members believed to be responsible for the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in east Africa.
Although Somali officials had earlier reported that one of the men had been killed, the US ambassador to Somalia has denied these reports. A US official, who spoke anonymously, says many Somalies with close ties to Al-Qaeda have been killed or captured.

The air strikes have been strongly criticised by both the European Union and the United Nations. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, says he has been closely following the situation and is concerned about the unintended effects the US air strikes might have.

Yves Sorokobi, Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, says that the UN is sending a humanitarian team to increase the safety of Somali civilians. Yet despite these efforts, concern about civilian casualties is mounting. Steve Morrison, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says that US action is causing international unrest among civilians and diplomats alike.

No one knows how many have been killed or injured by the attacks from earlier this week, because communication with the areas hit by US warplanes is difficult. Despite the criticism, the Bush administration says that the attacks are necessary to defend the US and the world from further Al-Qaeda terrorism.