UPDATE: You think this might be related? Interrogation of Al Qaeda Leader Yields Captures

Via Editor in Pajamas I find this Reuters article that the Powerline dudes put up:

U.S. Marines landed on Somalia's coast in one of their most visible hunts for militants in the country since they set up a Horn of Africa counter terrorism force in 2002, Somali officials said on Thursday....

It was not clear who the Marines were looking for.

The Marines' arrival coincided with signs of U.S. military activity elsewhere along the coast of Somaliland, a relatively stable region which declared independence in 1991 to escape chaos engulfing the rest of Somalia, but which is not internationally recognized....

Somaliland's interior minister declined to comment. Officers from the U.S. task force based in neighboring Djibouti since December 2002 to hunt down any militants in the region were not immediately contactable for comment.

Washington fears al Qaeda cells may be seeking new havens in the Horn of Africa where weak political institutions and poor policing of deserts and coastlines might provide places for militants to plan attacks on Western targets elsewhere.

In late 2003, some militia bosses and ordinary residents reported that a top al Qaeda suspect -- Fazul Abdullah Mohammed from the Indian Ocean Comoros islands -- had been spotted in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

U.S. officials say he masterminded the bombings at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Kenya in 2002 that took place within minutes of a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli airliner.

In March 2003, a suspected associate of Fazul, Suleiman Abdalla Salim Hemed, a Yemeni, was captured in Mogadishu with the help of warlord Mohammed Dheere and taken into U.S. custody.

A) Because large swaths of Africa are militantly Islamist.
B) Because bin Laden would be welcome in many of these areas.
C) Because bin Laden believes that he has prophetic powers.
D) Because bin Laden first became aware of these 'powers' when he 'prophesied' that the might of America would be cut down in Somalia.
E) As a mystic it seems like the logical place to go.

That's the basic case. I could be wrong. Heck, I hope I'm wrong and that he's dead somewhere.

Anyway, if you're interested you can check out the 'I told you so' category below. Nov. 22nd: Oh, and if you don't find bin Laden in Pakistan, please try Africa.

Dec. 30th, 2004: And as long as I'm spending a few minutes at the keyboard let me add this question just to mix things up a bit. Where is Osama bin Laden?

I've been saying off and on that Africa is the best bet. Bin Laden is a mystic who may be holed up in the place where his 'prophetic powers' first were revealed to the faithful: Somolia. Pure speculation, but there it is.

April 29, 2005: On a related note, as long as we're speculating, I'm gonna say we're looking for Osama on the wrong continent. Try Africa.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:39 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 530 words, total size 4 kb.

1 I hope he's in Africa, considering the Mercurial moods of the continent, and all the different factions with so many scores to settle, he would get sold out pretty quickly. After all, $25 mil is a lot of cheese, and in Africa, you can but a lot for that.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 06, 2005 03:48 PM (0yYS2)

2 IM: Excellent points. I certainly hope they get the bugger alive, too.

Posted by: Young Bourbon Professional at May 06, 2005 03:59 PM (x+5JB)

3 His chances of being delivered alive depend entirely on who captured him. Considering his mojo, he might get eaten and only his head delivered. Yes, they still do that in some parts of Africa.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 06, 2005 11:41 PM (0yYS2)

4 how about he is on moon. http://answering-islam DOT org DOT uk/Hoaxes/neil.html May be some muzlim propet was on moon too.or some muslim run lunar lavatory Neil heard the fart de allah.The call to the communal mas******** .? ) cant get enough.

Posted by: Monzter at May 07, 2005 06:27 AM (rA3Xj)

5 Hmmmm... Bin Laden in afghanistan, in sudan, in somalia. Are there any similarities there? Just think if he could bring his ideology to the whole world.

Posted by: RicardoVerde at May 08, 2005 10:13 AM (3DOby)

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