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| Africa: West |
| U.S. Marines Return to Ships Off Liberia |
| 2003-08-25 |
| EFL U.S. Marines returned in heavy rains to warships off Liberia’s coast, insisting shipboard troops would be better positioned to respond to any flare-ups in the country’s still-gelling peace accord. Sunday’s unannounced departure of the 150-strong fighting force ended a significant U.S. military deployment on the ground after just 11 days. Mission accomplished! Hoist anchor! Liberians, watching U.S. military helicopters hustling out of sight, spoke fearfully of being deserted in the midst of bringing an end to 14 years of conflict that has claimed more than 150,000 lives. ``They’re forsaking us,’’ said Emmanuel Slawon, a 22-year-old watching a U.S. helicopter sortie fly out of Liberia’s main airport, dangling a Humvee in a giant sling. Aw c’mon Emmanuel, you still have the Nigerians. ``We wish they’d stay until peace would come,’’ Slawon said. ``Their presence here puts fear in our fighters - it makes them think if they carry on hostilities, they’ll be handled by the Americans.’’ That’s a good fear for them to have. A 3-week-old West African peace force has helped stop fighting in Monrovia, but clashes persist in the countryside - sending refugees fleeing this weekend just a few dozen miles from the airport. U.S. military helicopters flew over that region Sunday, on a patrol requested by West African forces to try to help determine the source of gunfire and artillery explosions Friday. Militia fighters manning a government checkpoint in the area reported an early Sunday firefight with rebel forces. Liberian Defense Minister Daniel Chea also claimed fighting persisted Sunday near the Guinea border. State radio claimed up to 1,000 people were killed but Chea said he knew nothing about that. "I know no-fing! No-fing!" CH-46 military helicopters carried the Marines back out of Liberia on Sunday, in driving rain. ``Let’s hope they’ll have peace in Liberia,’’ said one Marine, heading for the waiting CH-46, its rotors running. Sunday’s withdrawal leaves about 100 U.S. troops still on the ground — 70 guarding the U.S. Embassy, and 30 working as a liaison team with a 3-week-old West African peace force, Lt. Col. Tom Collins, spokesman for the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit force, told The Associated Press. The pullback ``reflects the situation on the ground here,’’ the Marine spokesman said. He cited the now 1,500-strong West African peace force, building to a 3,250-member African force. ``We’re here to support (the West Africans), but we can do it better from the ship,’’ Collins said. Earlier, Marines had said they could react more quickly on the ground rather than on ships. Marines offered no explanation Sunday for their changed assessment. The force had been charged with backing up the West African troops if they came under attack. The American team largely had stayed at its base at the airport, out of sight of most Liberians. Clearly no one at Al-Guardian has any appreciation of mobility. The first U.S. show of force came hours after President Charles Taylor resigned. In the following days, U.S. forces roaming the front-lines and noisy helicopter and warplane forays over the city likewise made clear the world’s superpower still was watching. "Red2, this is Home Base, you are cleared for a low-level sonic boom over Monrovia." "Red2, on the way." ``If they want to leave, they can leave,’’ Col. Theophilus Tawiah of Ghana, chief of staff for the West African force, said Sunday, minutes after the Americans pulled out of sight. Calling the American support helpful, Tawiah added, ``wherever they are, their job is to support us. And they can support us from the ship or wherever.’’ |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #24 In case anyone is puzzling over my reference to Wild Dumrul, it is to the great work of Turkish legends known as THE BOOK OF DEDE KORKUT: The Book of Dede Korkut: Legend V LEGEND V "The Story of Delu Dumrul, Son of Duha Koja My khan, among the Oghuz people there was a man by the name of Delu Dumrul, the son of Duha Koja. He had a bridge built across a dry river bed. He collected thirty-three akchas from anyone who passed over it, and those who refused to pass over it he beat and charged forty akchas anyway. He did this to challenge anyone who thought he was braver than Delu Dumrul to fight, with the purpose of making his own bravery, heroism, and gallantry known even in places as far distant as Anatolia and Syria." W.D.'s little extortion scheme may sound familiar, and his money-making bullying met opposition from an even more potent force than the US Armed Forces. Murat just never learns anything... |
| Posted by: Ernest Brown 2003-8-25 7:42:45 PM |
| #23 Personally, I liked Izmir. I bought a cool rug. |
| Posted by: Steve D 2003-8-25 6:03:06 PM |
| #22 To Mr. Crawford's citation of Germany, Japan, and Italy we might also add Greece and Turkey in the aftermath of WWII. I believe it was the threat of communist insurgency in those countries in 1947 that led President Truman and Secretary of State Marshall to come up with the Marshall Plan for all of post war Europe. Murat should be thanking Uncle Sam for the fact that he's living in a nominally democratic nation instead of posing as Chomsky with a hookah. |
| Posted by: JDB 2003-8-25 5:22:09 PM |
| #21 Murat, let me make my feelings known on a few topics: 1) I don't give a DAMN about Turkey--your backwards-ass country had its opportunity to do something positive and instead forfeited any say in who does what in Iraq; 2) I don't give a DAMN about Muslims. Until "moderate" Muslims GROW A PAIR and learn to stand up against murder, butchery, terror, the abuse of women, etc etc etc, they TOO have forfeited any right to have any say in who does what anywhere; 3) I don't give a DAMN about your sorry ass--you combine the worst traits of the two groups above. |
| Posted by: Flaming Sword 2003-8-25 3:35:20 PM |
| #20 "..who are terrorists in the eyes of Arabs" The U.S. is a terrorist in the eyes of Arabs, just like everybody else who's not currently kissing Arab ass. So why would the U.S. give a flying fuck what the Arabs thinks? |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2003-8-25 3:10:05 PM |
| #19 "Bush senior, Bush junior, Gulfwar 1, Gulfwar2 in combination with Iraq have any meaning to you? " To paraphrase Jethro Tull(Aqua Lung album): Urat,how long do you think it would have taken Oday and Qusai to start"eying little Turksih girls with bad intent". |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-8-25 2:23:20 PM |
| #18 Murat's just channeling Wild Dumrul. He's upset because we don't believe in paying tolls to cross bridges over dry riverbeds. (g) |
| Posted by: Ernest Brown 2003-8-25 1:18:28 PM |
| #17 Situation stable, pull back to ships. Logical, but obviously beyond the understanding of some simple minds. 1. Easier logistics/support. 2. Less surveillance. 3. Less of a target. 4. Puts ECOMIL/ECOWAS at the forefront. 5. Gives our resident Turk something to froth at the mouth over. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2003-8-25 1:10:04 PM |
| #16 Murat, you're getting even more mean-spirited than before. You need to apologize to Zhang Fei. |
| Posted by: Tom 2003-8-25 12:33:13 PM |
| #15 Murat, did you even read what Zhang posted? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-8-25 11:11:13 AM |
| #14 An Iraq in chaos could be pacified by Turkey, in the same way that Syria moved into Lebanon. Yeah sure buddy, as if we put Iraq into chaos, do the words Bush senior, Bush junior, Gulfwar 1, Gulfwar2 in combination with Iraq have any meaning to you? But your little closed eyes makes it difficult for you to see the world realities don't they my Chinese buddy. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-8-25 11:03:11 AM |
| #13 As for recent events -- what is it with people who will hold grudges over events over 50 years ago, but who make judgements based on less than a year's worth of work? Turks are just weird. They should be ticked off at the Brits and the French for dismantling the Ottoman empire. But instead of directing their ire where it properly belongs, they point to Uncle Sam. (I'm not commenting on the legitimacy of Turkish empire, but we are surely not to blame for the decline and fall of Turkish empire). I suspect part of the pique relates to our thwarting of Turkish ambitions in Iraqi Kurdistan. A weak Iraq under Saddam with no political role for the Kurds was an Iraq in which Kurdish areas could potentially be annexed to Turkey. With Uncle Sam across the border, the Turks are basically immobilized, which is why they want us to leave as soon as possible. An Iraq in chaos could be pacified by Turkey, in the same way that Syria moved into Lebanon. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2003-8-25 10:45:40 AM |
| #12 Barzani and Talabani are only 2 members of the 25 member Iraqi Governing Council, and the 9 member rotating presidency. The Governing Council is certainly not acting as a dictatorship, like the Saddamite regime. Talabani and Barzani are widely reported to have run relatively liberal societies in Kurdistan for the last 10 years, very different from Saddamite govt. Are they terrorists in the eyes of the arabs (as opposed to the Turks?) Well so far I have heard nothing about arabs in Iraq complaining about them. Care to share a citation with US? Re Shia area: Coalition forces control Shia areas, not Badr forces. In any case the Badr allied SCIRI is on the Iraqi Governing Council, which is NOT endorsed by the Iranians. Iran seems to be backing Sadr instead, against SCIRI. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-8-25 10:41:09 AM |
| #11 As far as I can see the Turks really stabilized Armenia once and for all. |
| Posted by: JFM 2003-8-25 10:35:05 AM |
| #10 Well as far I can see the US was not very impressing of stabilizing anywhere Yeah. Japan, Germany, and Italy are still major threats to world peace. As for recent events -- what is it with people who will hold grudges over events over 50 years ago, but who make judgements based on less than a year's worth of work? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2003-8-25 10:30:38 AM |
| #9 Well as far I can see the US was not very impressing of stabilizing anywhere (Afghanistan), betting on the wrong horses can backfire. The things, which are going on nowadays, are putting up a lot of question marks: 1 You chase away one dictator (Saddam, 25 years Baath leader) and install two midget dictators (Barzani 30 years PDK leader, Talabani 30 years PUK leader) in the name of (democracy????) who are terrorist in the eyes of the Arabs like the Al qaeda for the Americans. 2 In order to press down the Iraqi Shia (less resistance) you allow some 8000 Iranian (supposed member of the axis of evil) backed Badr forces to virtually control the Shia lands. No wonder that no single Arab believes when Johnny shouts: we have liberated you. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-8-25 10:18:38 AM |
| #8 Kurds seem to be doing an excellent job of setting up a stable society with productive citizens. That's why Urat is so deranged - envy. Watch the denial set in |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-25 10:01:07 AM |
| #7 Members of the USMC detest bobbing around on ships without keels, PT and beer. Members of the USN hate having gyrines aboard because they lengthen lines for chow, the ship's store and barbershop. In this case the marines belong inconveniently aboard ship where they can chopper to anywhere immediately without being subject to surveilence. This also prevents deadenders from forming up for raids against US forces. I don't think our intension is to set-up flypaper for every malcontent in Western Africa. These people have been through enough. They deserve peace. |
| Posted by: Steve D 2003-8-25 8:54:54 AM |
| #6 Yeah,urat,ain't it cool. |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-8-25 8:47:50 AM |
| #5 Not as well as the arms shipments to the Kurds by the US |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-8-25 7:34:37 AM |
| #4 Guess,it was not ignorance when you used the term Jap the other day.Turkish bigotry rears it's ugly,little pin-head. Tell me,Murat,how are those arms shipments to your Turkaman brothers coming along? |
| Posted by: raptor 2003-8-25 7:19:06 AM |
| #3 I don't see any Turkish troops either. No Armenians in Liberia??? Guess not. |
| Posted by: Raphael 2003-8-25 5:54:45 AM |
| #2 GAZE at the troll, and his ugly bigotry. ... Situation stable, pull back to ships. Logical, but obviously beyond the understanding of some simple minds. |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2003-8-25 3:44:21 AM |
| #1 Well, Johny has discovered it, no oil, bye bye Liberia uncle Sam has no just causes for you. If you had oil we would have invented some, but live is hard so au revoir black buddies. |
| Posted by: Murat 2003-8-25 3:36:19 AM |