WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. military launched air strikes against al-Qaida leaders in Somalia last month from Ethiopia, The New York Times reports.
The two countries also shared intelligence information, including data from U.S. spy satellites, officials told the newspaper.
While the Bush administration has given few details about its operations in the Horn of Africa, officials discussed it with the Times because they perceive the operation as a success, the newspaper said.
Ethiopian forces toppled the Union of Islamic Courts more quickly than expected, allowing the interim government of Somalia -- which had been confined to the town of Baidoa -- to take over.
"The Ethiopians just wiped out entire grid squares; it was a blitzkrieg," said one official in Washington who helped develop the strategy toward Somalia.
U.S. Special Forces also worked with the Kenyan military to keep Islamists from crossing the border.
While officials say a number of al-Qaida leaders have been killed or captured, two key suspects in the U.S. embassy bombings remain at large.
