[Blitzer:] A disturbing new video that's coming out calling to mind the case of the Taliban American, John Walker Lindh. This time, a man believed to be an American caught on videotape in Somalia training for what's described as holy war. Let's go to Brian Todd, he's watching the story for us. Brian, what do we know about this man?
[Brian Todd, Cnn Correspondent:] Wolf, we have a short clip of him that intelligence agencies are looking at right now. But his identity and how he got to that remote battleground in the war on terror are still a mystery.
[Todd:] A man with what seems to be an American accent training with a Taliban-style group in Somalia. The young militant rails against the U.S.-backed Somali and Ethiopian forces that his group has been fighting for power. On this video, he is called Abu Mansour, the American, a military instructor for the Islamic Courts Union, a group that's not formally affiliated with al Qaeda, but has been accused by U.S. officials of harboring al Qaeda operatives. The group denies that. In this video, he tells American Muslims their brothers in Somalia stood up to, quote, "oppressive rule by the American-backed warlords." He's later shown demonstrating how to make a bomb. The video was shot by Al Jazeera. CNN obtained it from the Middle East Media Research Institute, a group that monitors and translates media from the Middle East, mostly from the Muslim and Arab world, and is seen as sympathetic to Israel. CNN ran this by three different U.S. intelligence agencies. Officials tell us they're examining the video, but could not immediately confirm who he is or if he's American. If he is, why would he join forces with a down but not out jihadist group in an obscure corner of the war on terror?
[Karin Von Hippel, Ctr For Strategic & Intl Studies:] I suspect he's one of these volunteers like John Walker Lindh who really is taken by the movement. He just like people are into extreme sports. If you go to Somalia, you're a real thrill-seeking jihadi.
[Todd:] Somalia is one of the world's most chaotic battlegrounds, with fragmented alliances. One terrorism expert who has been there says this young man probably doesn't understand fully those alliances, probably doesn't know his way around there and likely has Somalis translating for him in the field. Wolf?
[Blitzer:] Brian, we'll stay on top of this story as well thank you. Somalia is located in the horn of Africa and the U.S. has had a troubled history there. Back in 1992, you'll probably remember American forces joined peacekeeping efforts in Somalia, but Osama bin Laden objected to the presence of U.S. troops in a Muslim country and called for attacks on those American forces. On October 3rd, 1993, fighting broke out when Somali gunmen believed to have been trained by al Qaeda got into the game. Two U.S. helicopters were shot down. Eighteen Americans were killed in the clashes leading the U.S. eventually to withdraw from Somalia. You remember that phrase, blackhawk down. It happened that day. Barack Obama is turning the heat up on Democratic presidential rival Hillary Clinton for her vote authorizing the Iraq war.
[Obama:] You can't give this president a blank check and then be surprised when he cashes it.
[Blitzer:] So is this the start of a new phase in the campaign? Find out my one-on-one interview with Senator Obama. That's coming up. Plus, what Ann Coulter said about Jews that shocked her interviewer. You're going to see the tape. You make the decision. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.