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CNN Live At Daybreak

Somali Resistance Welcomes U.S.

Aired January 16, 2002 - 06:39   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The State Department includes Somalia among those nations, it says has harbored terrorists. The Bush administration is saying that Somali could be targeted for allowing terrorists in its midst.

CNN's Jeff Koinange takes a look at the rogue nation with many troubles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If the U.S. is looking for friends in Somalia, they may want to begin here in Baidoa, the bedrock of opposition to the central government in Mogadishu, and a place where fugitive terrorist Osama bin Laden isn't welcome.

They may want to talk to these men, seasoned veterans of conflicts dating as far back as the early '60's, now willing to join the Americans in the fight against al Qaeda elements.

"Somalia is like a perfect haven for terrorists," he says. "There's no central government to speak of, and we've been at war for more than 10 years. We have (ph) all kinds of bandits running around the countryside at free will."

For the region's many war-weary residents, the prospects of seeing U.S. forces is exciting.

"We happily welcome all Americans here," he says. "We've been fighting a civil war for too long, and now is the time to stop and help build our country."

"It wasn't us who kicked out the Americans the last time," this man says. "It was the people of Mogadishu."

Everyone here, it seems, carries a gun of some sort, and if one requires added security on the road, these pickup trucks mounted with anti-aircraft machine guns are the vehicles of choice. While these troops may look like a rag-tag army, these men say they are ready and willing to march all the way to Mogadishu, if necessary, and help root out any remnants of al Qaeda.

Why Mogadishu? That's where they claim al Qaeda elements are. Some of them even a part of the fledgling administration, which goes by the name of TNG, the Transitional National Government. ADBALLAHI SHEIKH ISMAIL, SOMALI COUNCIL: Are they part of the al Qaeda network themselves? They are -- are they the creation of this international terrorist network? Do they have some association, or are they the political instrumental of al Qaeda itself? Well, that is something which has still to be discovered, but today there are no secrets, I think in this world, everybody (ph) knows the links between the TNG and al Qaeda.

KOINANGE: The Somalia government denies that charge and insists it's an opposition maneuver to lure the Americans back into Somalia. But even without the oppositions prodding, the U.S. is already taking active interest in Somalia.

The Bush administration has taken steps to choke off what it says is al Qaeda's financial lifeline here. Al Barakaat was a multi- million dollar transfer outlet for Somalis wanting to send money from overseas. It's also on the U.S. list of banks possibly used by members of al Qaeda to send money to operatives in the region.

In Somalia, Al Barakaat operated everything from banks to mobile phone networks. After September 11th, money bureaus like this one were closed, and satellite telephone transmissions shut down by U.S. intelligence. Company officials have denied they are helping bin Laden's network.

(on camera): Senior Somali government forces say a military camp similar to the one behind me is being run by Ethiopian forces deep in the deserts of Somalia. Neither Ethiopia nor the Somalia opposition will admit or deny its presence, which if true, would place Ethiopian military offices in the region.

But one thing is certain, an already fragile relationship between the administration in Mogadishu and the Ethiopian government is quickly coming undone and could lead to the bitter renewal of an old rivalry already responsible for tens of thousands of deaths between the two nations in the mid '70's.

(voice-over): That was during the infamous Ogaden War, a worthless piece of desert claimed by both countries as their own. Now the stakes are higher, and the prize more valuable in a lawless land badly in need of some law and order. Even the region's governor is quick to say an added American presence in Somalia could finally bring about an ever-elusive peace.

"We already have a commitment from the Americans," he says. "They came here. We had discussions, and we're moving ahead with our plans to liberate Somalia and get rid of all terrorists once and for all."

(on camera): If Somalia does become a target in this next phase of the U.S. war against terror and it's still just an "if," the entire geography of the country is set to change. After a decade of mostly civil war ending in a weak central government, a new conflict could have set old alliances (ph) and create new ones, all jostling to gain a hold in what's likely to be a power vacuum.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Baidoa, Somalia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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