I just heard an all too brief radio announcement of a "U.S. military action" in Somalia.  Maddeningly, no details were given.  Anyone hear anything further of this?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/02/us-usa-somalia-shabaab-idUSKBN0GX01L20140902

What the hell are we doing there?

Quote from: tac on September 02, 2014, 04:32:02 AM
What the hell are we doing there?

Big shipping firms got tired of worrying about piracy. Now I think a simpler method, would be to arm ships with Oerlikon 20mm auto cannons.

Remember discussing with a liberal that was sure Africa would become the next economic miracle leaving continents like Europe and the US behind, the main argument was that China now investing billions in African infrastructure will come to depend on Africa which will lead to economic development on a grand scale, the Africans getting better living standard will then translate into more domestic service jobs and so on.

It's a marxist materialist perspective on history, and not entirely false from an economic perspective, but so many of these African countries suffer from socialist regimes like Zimbabwe.

That being said we do have a conservative African country Botswana which despite massive immigration problems from neighboring countries do have a functioning society and economy even without the diamond trade, which should be impossible for a landlocked country according to marxist theory.

Only 6% of Africa's potential agriculture is being utilized, most in subsistence farming. Africa does have the potential, Botwsana shows it is possible, but I'm not expecting much from muslim African countries like Somalia.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/02/us-military-conducts-operation-against-al-shabaab-in-somalia/

Al Qeeda is in Somalia and ISIS is rampant in Iran, Syria and Iraq.  Gee, you mean to tell me that our president lied and the war on terrorism isn't over?   He's not securing the border why? What a butt monkey.

Quote from: PeterR on September 01, 2014, 09:07:26 PM
I just heard an all too brief radio announcement of a "U.S. military action" in Somalia.  Maddeningly, no details were given.  Anyone hear anything further of this?

Peter, that's exactly how I heard it, as if interrupting a conversation asking someone to pass the salt.
It was an innocuous mention like it's summer, so it's naturally hot outside, as if we've always been in Somalia.

OK, a few more details (and not a lot of those) now coming in.

It was a drone strike on a leader of the al-Shabaab terrorist group in Somalia.  No word on its success.

Thanks, guys, for pointing me in the right direction.  That very brief, but alarmist, radio "bulletin" had me percolating for a while there.