U.S. finds no evidence of al Qaeda in Somalia

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After weeks of heightened surveillance of Somalia and on-the-ground reconnaissance work, the Bush administration has found no evidence that senior al Qaeda members or their forces have sought refuge there, senior U.S. officials told CNN Wednesday.

In addition to watching the flow of people into and out of Somalia, the United States has also been monitoring the flow of money, officials said. On both counts, they said, they have come up empty-handed.

Following the start of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan, administration officials hinted that one of its next stops could be Somalia, which has no stable central government.

For years, Somalia had been home to a number al Qaeda terrorist training camps and was known to have links to al-Ittihad al-Islami, a fundamentalist Muslim group. They no longer appear to be in Somalia, officials said.

U.S. officials attributed the absence of al Qaeda to the lawless climate in Somalia, where clans could be quick to sell information on al Qaeda activities. Officials also believe Somalia is anxious to get off a possible target U.S. list and therefore withdrew the welcome mat.

Finally, the desire of the transitional national government to get back into the good graces of the United States could be yet another reason that Somalia has kept its distance from al Qaeda operatives, U.S. officials believe.

The transitional national government controls only part of the capital and random patches of the remainder of the country.