WASHINGTON: One of the main plotters behind the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole that left 17 American servicemen dead may have been killed in Yemen, the American military said Friday.
“US forces conducted a precision strike Jan. 1 in the Marib (governorate), Yemen, targeting Jamal Al-Badawi, a legacy Al-Qaeda operative in Yemen involved in the USS Cole bombing,” said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for US Central Command.
“US forces are still assessing the results of the strike following a deliberate process to confirm his death.”
A rubber boat loaded with explosives blew up as it rounded the bow of the guided-missile destroyer, which had just pulled into Aden for a five- to six-hour refueling stop, on October 12, 2000.
Seventeen American sailors were killed as well as the two perpetrators of the attack that was claimed by Al-Qaeda, in an early success for the terror group and its founder Osama Bin Laden.
The chief suspect Abdel Rahim Al-Nashiri is being held in Guantanamo Bay.
Badawi was indicted by a federal grand jury in 2003 and charged with 50 counts of various terrorism offenses, including murder of US nationals and murder of US military personnel.
Apart from his alleged role in the USS Cole attack, in which he was said to have supplied boats and explosives, he is also charged with attempting with co-conspirators to attack a US Navy vessel in January 2000.
The FBI had placed Badawi on its most wanted list, offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture.
According to the agency, he was captured by Yemeni authorities in connection with the attack but escaped from prison in April 2003. He was recaptured in March 2004, but again escaped in February 2006.
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US says key plotter in USS Cole attack may have been killed in Yemen
US says key plotter in USS Cole attack may have been killed in Yemen
- One of the main plotters behind the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole may have been killed in Yemen
- US forces conducted a precision strike Jan. 1 in Marib, targeting Jamal Al-Badawi
Somali president to visit Turkiye after Israeli recognition of Somaliland
ANKARA: Somalia’s president is to visit close ally Turkiye on Tuesday following Israel’s recognition of the breakaway territory of Somaliland, Turkiye’s presidency said.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hold talks “on the current situation in Somalia in the fight against terrorism, measures taken by the federal Somali government toward national unity and regional developments,” Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate, said on X.
Turkiye on Friday denounced Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it “overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs.”
Ankara, a close ally of Somalia, provides military and economic assistance to the country that has been devastated by civil war since the early 1990s.
Turkiye is helping to rebuild its army and infrastructure while ensuring its presence in east Africa, including at sea.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, as Somalia was plunged into chaos following the fall of dictator Siad Barre.
The region has operated autonomously since then and possesses its own currency, army and police force.
It has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
Diplomatic isolation has been the norm — until Israel’s move to recognize it as a sovereign nation, which has been criticized by the African Union, Egypt, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The European Union has insisted Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected.
The recognition is the latest move by Israel that has angered Turkiye, with relations souring between the two countries in recent years.
Ankara has strongly condemned Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has opposed Turkiye’s participation in a future stabilization force in the Palestinian territory.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will hold talks “on the current situation in Somalia in the fight against terrorism, measures taken by the federal Somali government toward national unity and regional developments,” Burhanettin Duran, head of the Turkish presidency’s communications directorate, said on X.
Turkiye on Friday denounced Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, a self-proclaimed republic, calling it “overt interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs.”
Ankara, a close ally of Somalia, provides military and economic assistance to the country that has been devastated by civil war since the early 1990s.
Turkiye is helping to rebuild its army and infrastructure while ensuring its presence in east Africa, including at sea.
Somaliland declared independence in 1991, as Somalia was plunged into chaos following the fall of dictator Siad Barre.
The region has operated autonomously since then and possesses its own currency, army and police force.
It has generally experienced greater stability than Somalia, where Al-Shabab Islamic militants periodically mount attacks in the capital Mogadishu.
Diplomatic isolation has been the norm — until Israel’s move to recognize it as a sovereign nation, which has been criticized by the African Union, Egypt, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
The European Union has insisted Somalia’s sovereignty should be respected.
The recognition is the latest move by Israel that has angered Turkiye, with relations souring between the two countries in recent years.
Ankara has strongly condemned Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, and Israel has opposed Turkiye’s participation in a future stabilization force in the Palestinian territory.
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