Mystery Somali mercenary army concerns Obama administration

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley says force, funded by unknown Muslim nation, lacks tran sparency

BY MATTHEW LEE,
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dec. 03, 2010
 

The Obama administration is concerned about a private military force aimed at combating piracy in northern Somalia's semia utonomous Puntland region because there are unanswered  questio ns  about who is behind the operation.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Thursday that the U.S. was not involved in the  p roject in any way and is worried by a lack of transparency in "its funding, objectives and scope."
 

The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that training for the force of up to 1,050 men has begun and is being paid for by an unknown Muslim nation. The AP reported that the mystery don or has hired a former CIA officer and a senior ex-U.S. diplomat to help with its creation.

Source: AP