“I am concerned by recent reports from ethnic Somalis in Minneapolis that young men from their community may have left to fight in Somalia. As their statements make clear, the community is grief stricken and wants nothing to do with the conflict. These reports, which must be fully investigated, are a reminder that the conflict in Somalia remains a serious crisis with direct national security implications for the United States. As al Qaeda seeks to engage Somali extremists to revitalize its operations there, the threats emanating from Somalia become more acute and more global, particularly if individuals from the United States or elsewhere are drawn into the conflict. It is long past time that we develop and implement a comprehensive plan to resolve this crisis. I will continue to carefully follow events both in Somalia and here at home.”

Senator Feingold is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations, Judiciary and Intelligence Committees. He is the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs. In 2006, Congress passed a Feingold measure requiring the administration to develop a comprehensive stabilization and reconstruction strategy for Somalia. The New York Times has labeled Feingold “the Senate's leading expert on Somalia.”