U.S. targets terror suspects in Somalia - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com

U.S. targets terror suspects in Somalia - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com: "WASHINGTON - The destroyer USS Chafee fired her deck guns at two or three suspected 'high-value terrorist targets' in the Puntland area along the northern coast of Somalia on Saturday, U.S. officials told NBC News. The suspects are accused of taking part in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

According to the officials, the U.S. had 'actionable intelligence” gathered by U.S. Special Operations Forces and local tribal leaders that the suspects were in the area.

The suspects reportedly include Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, who is believed to be the mastermind of the 1998 attacks on U.S. Embassies in Africa that killed more than 200, and the 2002 Kenya attack on an Israeli hotel and simultaneous attempt to bring down an Israeli plane.

Out of fear that the suspects would leave the area, the decision was made to order the strike from the Chafee, which fired 20 five-inch rounds from her deck guns, NBC News reported.

The Chafee was the U.S. military's closest asset, the officials said. Airstrikes would have come too late." Read complete post here.