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Somali Leaders Warn U.S. Against Air Strikes on Somalia
NAIROBI, Dec. 26 (News Agencies) - The president of Somalia's autonomous region of Puntland, Jama Ali Jama, on Wednesday appealed to the United States not to carry out any raids in his region, saying there were no terrorist camps there, news agencies reported.
"No terrorist camps are here," Jama told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an interview in Nairobi early Wednesday, before boarding a plane to return to his northeastern part of the African Horn country. "The U.S. should not kill the poor people of Puntland for no apparent reason."
Jama said that attacks on war-ravaged Somalia would not be a wise choice for the United States if it really wanted to fight terrorism.
"Consultation with credible local leaders would be the best way to achieve success in combating terrorism," Jama said. "The leadership of Puntland is ready to cooperate with the international community and we will give uninterrupted accesses to our fiefdom, security files and all areas suspected to have terrorist links," Jama told AFP, "but we do not support aerial bombardment of our poor people."
"There may be some individuals with a fundamentalist mentality on Islam; I don't think there are religious groups that would harm the interests of the outside world," Jama explained.
U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed concern over the suspected presence in Somalia of groups or individuals linked to international terrorist groups such as Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. At the same time, however, they have played down talk of taking Washington's current "war on terrorism" to Somalia.
Jama also denied receiving financial support from Al-Itihaad to bribe elders and some delegates to oust Puntland's first president, Abdullahi Yusuf Ahmed last November 14, as alleged by his rivals.
On Monday, Somali factional leader Hussein Aideed warned against U.S. airstrikes against Somalia, saying that it will only "create more problems."
"They would create sympathy for Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya," the Islamic organization accused by Washington of allegedly having links with al-Qaeda, Aidid told a news conference in the Ethiopian capital.
Speculation has been rife that Washington might want to target Somalia if its so-called anti-terror campaign is expanded beyond Afghanistan.
"No foreign military troops" in Somalia, said Aideed, himself a former U.S. Marine who was part of the U.S. military force deployed in Somalia during "Operation Restore Hope" nearly a decade ago. Instead, he urged more cooperation between warlords in the Somalia Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), the neighboring countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya and the U.S.-led anti-terrorist coalition.
In November, Aideed declared his organization was capable of "eradicating" terrorism in Somalia, and called for international assistance to help him, particularly against Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya.
"Terrorism cannot be defeated without a central government in Somalia," he said.
Aideed also rejected an agreement signed earlier Monday in Kenya between Somalia's Transitional National Government (TNG) and some SRRC representatives, aimed at creating a government of national unity.
The SRRC, created in March in southern Ethiopia, has accused some members of the TNG of also being part of Al-Itihaad Al-Islamiya.
"Militarily, the SRRC is still number one in Somalia, so it is either the Islamic state or us," he said.
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