AFP: Iran on Wednesday condemned a US air strike in southern Somalia as a violation of international law. TEHRAN, Jan 10, 2007 (AFP) – Iran on Wednesday condemned a US air strike in southern Somalia as a violation of international law.
“The American air strike on Somali villages and refugees in the south of this country is against international law and it is condemned,” Iranian news agencies quoted foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini as saying.
The United States launched an air strike Monday on suspected Al-Qaeda hideouts in southern Somalia in its first overt military intervention in the lawless nation since the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, a Somali government official and local clan elders reported new US air strikes on suspected Al-Qaeda targets in the south on Wednesday.
Iran “demands foreign countries do not interfere in Somali developments, considering the consequences of America’s military options, which stir tension in the world”, Hosseini said.
According to witness accounts, at least 19 people died in Monday’s attack.
“All Somali sides should be encouraged to hold national talks and comprehensive participation to resolve the crisis,” he added.
Iran has no diplomatic ties with arch-foe the United States, which accuses Tehran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons and arming Lebanese and Palestinian Islamist militant groups. Iran denies the charges.
