WASHINGTON — The US commando raids in Libya and Somalia suggest the future shape of American counterterrorism efforts — brief, targeted raids against highly sought extremist figures — and highlight the rise of Africa as a terrorist haven.
The strikes also raise questions about where to interrogate and try captured terrorist suspects such as Abu Anas al-Liby, accused by the United States of involvement in the 1998 bombings of two American embassies in Africa.
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Representative Howard ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, said Abu Anas has ‘‘vast intelligence value.’’
McKeon, Republican of California, said President Obama should ‘‘fully exploit this potential’’ before moving on to his prosecution.
The White House seemed to agree, saying Saturday’s raid in Tripoli was specifically designed to apprehend, not kill, the suspect.
‘‘The president has made clear our preference for capturing terrorist targets when possible, and that’s exactly what we’ve done in order to elicit as much valuable intelligence as we can and bring a dangerous terrorist to justice,’’ said the White House National Security Council’s spokeswoman, Caitlin Hayden.
The outcome of a second US commando raid Saturday, targeting a leader of the Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group, Al Shabaab, was less clear.
A Navy SEAL team swam ashore in Somali early in the morning and engaged in a fierce firefight.
A US official said afterward the Americans disengaged after inflicting some Al Shabaab casualties, but it was unclear who was hit. The official was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The raid in Somalia reflected the importance the Obama administration attaches to combating Al Shabaab, whose leaders are believed to be collaborating more with other Al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic insurgent groups across Africa.
In a speech in May outlining his strategy for the use of drones, Obama counted Somalia as among the places where the United States and its allies face ‘‘lethal yet less capable Al Qaeda affiliates.’’
The commando assaults unfolded against the backdrop of political paralysis in Washington, where the Congress and the White House are locked in battle over budgets but have agreed to keep the military operating and paid on time.
Libya said Sunday it has asked the United States for ‘‘clarifications’’ regarding the capture of Abu Anas by US Delta Force commandos.
The Tripoli government said Abu Anas, as a Libyan national, should be tried in his own country.
He is on the FBI’s most-wanted list of terrorists with a $5 million bounty on his head. He was indicted by the United States in November 1998.
In a statement, Libya also said it hoped the incident would not affect its strategic relationship with the United States, which is evolving in the aftermath of the 2011 ouster of longtime ruler Moammar Khadafy.
Ties were complicated by the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on US diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, in eastern Libya.
Abu Anas was indicted by a federal court in New York for his alleged role in the bombings of the US embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi on Aug. 7, 1998, that killed more than 220 people.