US plans to send drones to aid Somalia in offensive

Washington:  US officials say Pentagon is considering dispatching surveillance drones and other limited military support for a planned Somali government offensive against Al Qaida-linked insurgents, as they move cautiously to increase US assistance to the African nation.

US diplomats also are pressing Somali leaders to detail the goals of the looming assault, in order to figure out the most appropriate ways the US can help,

Determined to avoid a visible American footprint on the ground or fingerprints on Somalia's shaky government, US officials are struggling to find the right balance between seizing the opportunity to take out Al Qaida insurgents in Somalia and avoiding the appearance of a US occupation.

Beyond objectives

American diplomats have been meeting in Kenya with leaders of Somalia's embattled government, urging them to think beyond military objectives and focus more on improving their governing.

US officials want the Somali government to figure out how to provide services to its people once the fighting is over, and work to gain support among more moderate groups.

While American diplomats are huddling with the Somalis in the US embassy in Nairobi, Pentagon leaders are preparing a range of options to help boost Somalia's weak security forces.

One proposal would move surveillance drones to the Horn of Africa from an island in the Seychelles, where several unarmed Reaper systems were sent in late 2009 for counter-piracy operations in the western Indian Ocean.

US defence and Western diplomatic officials spoke about the deliberations on condition of anonymity because final decisions have not been made.

"This is not an American conflict," Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told reporters in a recent briefing.

"It will be up to the Somalis to ultimately resolve this conflict.

"The US, along with others in the international community, can contribute in a supporting role, which we do and acknowledge, but not to become directly engaged in any of the conflict on the ground there."

Officials are concerned that any taint of US interference or direct military support will only fuel the Somali insurgency.