(December 1st 2001)
British Warships Patrol Somali Coast
Amid speculation that Iraq or Somalia could form the next target in the US-led war against terrorism, it has emerged that American, British and German warships are patrolling the Somali coast in an effort to intercept al-Quaeda terrorists fleeing Afghanistan.
US warships in the Arabian Gulf are also boarding and searching merchant vessels in the region which could be smuggling members of al-Quaeda or the Taliban.
Afghanistan is a land locked country, but Taliban forces are reportedly fleeing into neighbouring Pakistan, where the port of Karachi is home to political groups sympathetic to al-Quaeda. It is possible that from here, Osama bin Laden or his associates could try and cross the Indian Ocean to seek refuge in Somalia or Yemen.