SAS TARGETS SOMALI TERROR FORCES
BRITISH Special Forces are fighting a covert war in Somalia against Islamic militants.
Up to 60 commandos are working on the ground with Kenyan forces to target terrorists inside the East African state.
The news comes just a week after the Attorney General Dominic Grieve gave the green light for UK Special Forces raids on pirate bases in the east of the country.
Now we can reveal members of the SAS are working to eliminate al- Shabab terrorist leaders after entering Somalia from its western border with Kenya.
The Brit forces include two four- strong teams of Forward Air Controllers (FAC). They work by gathering intelligence on al-Shabeb targets inside Somalian territory.
Once a target is pinpointed, its position is fed back to fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters or drones.
A missile can then be fired on the target using a laser as a guide.
The FAC teams can also relay intelligence back to the Kenyan Air Force, which employs a number of ex-RAF pilots.
Last night former chairman of the Commons counter terrorism sub- committee Patrick Mercer said: “Somalia is clearly the site of Britain’s next overseas engagement.
“There is the threat from piracy and the risk of potential terror attacks by al-Shabab fighters during the Olympics.
“It is no secret that terrorists targeting Britain are being trained by al-Shabab fighters.”
The Tory MP added: “There have been a series of incursions into Somalia by British troops.
“Our Special Forces wield a considerable amount of power in the region. There is no doubt we are involved in the war against al-Shabab. This is a hugely important role as we are able to direct the force of a First World army against our enemies using just a handful of personnel.”
It is thought around 60 British “holy war” jihadis are fighting or training in Somalia, with their costs being met by sympathisers in Britain.
Last week it was revealed terror suspect Samantha Lewthwaite, 29, has fled from Kenya to Somalia.
The widow of July 7 suicide bomber Jermaine Lindsay was seen on a bus heading to the war-ravaged nation with the leader of al-Qaida in Somalia, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan.
Kenyan officers believe the mum of three, who is said to be pregnant again, is travelling with her children under a fake South African passport in the name of Natalie Faye Webb.
Lewthwaite, originally from Aylesbury, Bucks, has been on the run since December when she fled from a property thought to be used as a funding centre for Islamic terrorists in Kenya’s second largest city Mombasa.
STAR