WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Friday he's dispatching roughly 100 U.S. troops to central Africa to help battle the Lord's Resistance Army, which the administration accuses of a campaign of murder, rape and kidnapping children that spans two decades.
In a letter to Congress, Obama said the troops will act as advisers in efforts to hunt down rebel leader Joseph Kony but will not engage in combat except in self-defense. Pentagon officials said the bulk of the U.S. contingent will be special operations troops, who will provide security and combat training to African units.
The White House said the first troops arrived in Uganda on Wednesday. Ultimately, they'll also deploy in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Long considered one of Africa's most brutal rebel groups, the Lord's Resistance Army began its attacks in Uganda more than 20 years ago but has been pushing westward.
Nmysys wrote: I wonder why he picked Uganda to get involved in.
He would like you to think it is for humanitarian effort and it prolly is, BUT, he has lost a little bit of support from the Hollywood crowd (Pitt/Jolie/Clooney etc.) for not doing enough during the beginning of his term for the impoverished and genocide stricken countries in Africa. Too little too late. He should have done this earlier instead of screwing around in Afghanistan and getting invlolved in Libya.
Well lets see according to Obama these troops will not be involved in combat unless forced to defend themselves. Yet when one reads what they are there for, finding and capturing the head of the rebel faction, so how are they suppose to do that unles they are involved in combat operations.
We have no business being there. There are plenty countries on the African cont that could have done something and should do something. Not us. It always starts off small and before we know it, the small force is now big.
Oh and since we are doing this, they including the idiot president, want to cut troop benefits and pay and retirement etc, but then turn around and lets send the troops to another hell hole in this world.
I wonder how long it will be before 100 advisers determine that they need additional troops to keep the peace. An odd play for a candidate who campaigned on a platform that was anti-war.
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus