Mixed reactions trail United States commandos’ raids in Libya, Somalia

• Mogadishu confirms working with foreign partners on terror

• Tripoli seeks explanation over Al Qaeda operative’s seizure

MIXED reactions have continued to trail two raids by United States (U.S.) commandos in Africa at the weekend with officials and experts saying the operations showed America is pressuring al Qaeda despite a functional failure in Somalia and an angry response in Libya highlighting Washington’s problems.

In Tripoli, U.S. forces on Saturday snatched Nazih al-Ragye – a Libyan wanted over the bombings of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi 15 years ago – and whisked him out of the country.

The operation, according to a report by Reuters, prompted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to declare that al Qaeda leaders “can run but they can’t hide”.

But the capture of al-Ragye, better known as Abu Anas al-Liby, also provoked a complaint about the “kidnap” from the Western-backed Prime Minister Ali Zeidan.

There is an indication that Zeidan faces a backlash from armed Islamists who have carved out a share of power since the West helped Libyan rebels oust Muammar Gaddafi two years ago.

In Somalia, Navy SEALS also on Saturday stormed ashore into the al Shabaab stronghold of Barawe in response to the attack last month on a Kenyan mall but, a U.S. official said, they failed to capture or kill the unnamed target among the Somali allies of al Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Somalia said yesterday it was “not a secret” it is working with foreign governments to fight terror and described the country’s Al-Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants as a threat to the world.

Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdo confirmed his country’s position after U.S. commandos launched the raid in tandem with a strike against a wanted Al-Qaeda leader in Libya.

“Our cooperation with international partners on fighting against the terrorism is not a secret,” Farah Shirdo said.

“Understand me, that fighting is not a secret. And our interest is to get a peaceful Somalia and free from terrorism and problems,” the prime minister added.

The weekend operation was the most significant U.S. assault in Somalia since commandos killed key Al-Qaeda operative Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in the same area four years ago.

It followed an attack by Shabaab gunmen last month on the upscale Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi that left 67 people dead during a bloody four-day siege.

However, Kerry, on a visit to Indonesia, said President Barack Obama’s administration was “pleased with the results” of the combined assaults early on Saturday.

“We hope this makes clear that the United States of America will never stop in its effort to hold those accountable who conduct acts of terror,” he said.