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Obama Sends US Combat Troops to Uganda
US president says he is deploying 100 combat troops to Uganda to help efforts against Lord's Resistance Army rebels.
US President Barack Obama has announced he is deploying 100 "combat-equipped" troops to Uganda to help efforts against rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who Washington accuse of grievous human rights abuses.
US President Barack Obama will deploy troops to Uganda to help fight rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (AFP/File, Stuart Price) The US troops, subject to the approval of national authorities, could also deploy from Uganda into South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo, Obama said in a message to Congress.
LRA rebels are accused of murdering, raping and kidnapping thousands of people in the four nations.
Tens of thousands of people have died in their 20-year war with security forces in northern Uganda.
"These forces will act as advisors to partner forces that have the goal of removing from the battlefield Joseph Kony and other senior leadership of the LRA," Obama said, but warned they would not lead the fighting themselves.
"Although the US forces are combat-equipped, they will only be providing information, advice, and assistance to partner nation forces.
"They will not themselves engage LRA forces unless necessary for self-defence. All appropriate precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of US military personnel during their deployment."
The president said a small group of troops deployed on Wednesday and that additional forces will deploy over the next month.
Kony is accused of war crimes and wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The civil war effectively ended in 2006 when a peace process was launched, but Kony and his top commanders continue to commit atrocities in remote areas of neighbouring countries.
General Carter Ham, the head of US Africa Command, said last week that his best estimate was that Kony was probably in the Central African Republic.
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135 Comments so far
Show AllNo not like the U.S. Military. The LRA are a very bad bunch indiscriminately killing and raping everyone in their path. Don't be blinded by ideology. You sound like Fox news types. There are times when evil must be fought.
"There are times when evil must be fought".
There is plenty of evil right here in River City. If you feel it's important, feel free to go to Uganda. Besides, we never win, just fight, and evil gets stronger.
I like how you summed it up. "we never win, just fight, and evil gets stronger." Any chance you're from the Springs? ^.^
At least 30,000 people died as the LRA spread terror in northern Uganda for more than 20 years, displacing some two million people.
30,000 killed in 20 years? Really? The LRA are pikers compared to Amerika. Bush/Barry killed ten times that during the first few years of their occupation of Iraq.
Watts4,
of course, you're just sort of puffing here and you're not really trying to pass off as literal truth that you "know" that Obama had the blood of children on his hands.
Hmmm, isn't this just the way the war in Viet Nam started - with American "advisors"?
I do, indeed, sympathize with the view that atrocities should be stopped - the trouble is the US never seems to know how to stop them and winds up just making more.
There has to be a better way than this "road to hell" .....
Don't bet on UN (eunuchs) "Peacekeepers".
SOP for eunuchs witnessing bad things: "Stop!" "Or I'll say Stop again!"
"Really! I'm Serious!!!" "See look, this is my Serious Face!!!"
"Screw it, happy-hour starts soon. So who won this afternoon's test match...."
Aquifer you have raised a significant issue. No one in that godforsaken part of the world other than our government can provide these soldiers with their daily needs. These will have to flown in (Uganda, like Afghanistan, has no sea port). That, in turn, will require at least one safe airfield nearby and a reasonably safe supply line to the troops. If these soldiers remain in Uganda longer than a few weeks I predict that more will be sent there to secure the safety of the airfield(s) and supply lines. In Vietnam that was known as escalation. It is always the supply lines that are the most vulnerable (Stalingrad!) part of a deployment as has been dramatically demonstrated by Afghanistan where our government has to pay local warlords to ensure the safe passage of supplies. With regards to the wisdom of this action I seem to have learned from history that when the "helpers" depart the murders and mayhem start afresh. Textbook examples: Iraq or Afghanistan after the Soviets left. Ultimately there seems to be no other permanent solution than one developed by the people of that nation themselves without exterior interventions.
OH GOOD................... ANOTHER WAR. JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM AND OFF COURSE, IT'S A MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX ANSWER TO THEIR PRAYERS. MORE MONEY FOR THEM, LESS FOR EVERYONE ELSE.
And the re-colonization of Africa continues. Obama also has secretly attacked Algeria as well, as part of his criminal war against the Libyan people. There are now eight Obama wars: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Somalia, and Uganda.
----And the re-colonization of Africa continues-----
friend, this sounds like something sane?
The LRA is a very bad bunch, but this looks like a geopolitical power play in a weak state. Typically, the United Nations would make the call, not Obama and 100 "advisors" who are coincidentally trained as combat soldiers.
It looks like Obama is trying to perpetuate military industrial complex spending through Clintonian "humanitarian interventions" (also known as Wilsonian idealism). He's doing it even though he lost face in Congress with his undeclared war in Libya. Someone (or some body) needs to shut this war-mongering pResident down.
In the spring of 2008 I was ridiculed on this site for stating that candidate Obama is a new kind of imperialist who would start his own wars. My conclusion was based on his published interviews with the Chicago Tribune and his speeches at AIPAC. Here are the wars that he has continued, intensified, or started: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, Uganda and possibly some secret ones that we do not know yet about. The lame excuse that these are not wars is idiotic. Sending armed men and women or planes/drones somewhere to shoot and kill is waging war albeit of a new kind. Now, with another presidential campaign coming up I do not hesitate to state that President Obama-2 will start more wars during his second turn. The fact that a Republican President may do the same or more does not justify voting for Mr. Obama next year. Regrettably millions of deluded citizens will do exactly that.
you shouldn't have been ridiculed. Obama was quite clear during the campaign that he was going to wind up the war in iraq and step up the war in Afghanistan. As well, he was clear that he would go after al Qaeda and al Qaeda-related terrorists in other places.
my son was all gushy for Obama and kept saying that Obama was committed to really changing our foreign policy.
I disagreed and said that Obama's speeches were very carefully parsed so that it sounded that way, but that what he really was saying was that he was going to continue pretty much the same policies, but just not as flat-out stupidly as the Bush admin.
You are quite correct. Too many deluded citizens will play the red team, blue team game and find out that they are the ones that lose.
Oh, good. Another country that we can start breeding anti-American terrorists. Feel safer now?
What the pro-interventionists never choose to address are these very basic question: Who elected the United States to be the policeman of the world? When exactly did this election occur? And it the pro-war crowd is so anxious for the United States to intervene in the affairs of yet another third world country then why in the world have they not signed up to defend their alleged noble cause? In all likelihood that is because they are all for the United States starting more wars around the world just as long as they are not the ones who have to end up fighting and dying in those ill-conceived misadventures.
Who has gone and elected us as the world's police? Combat troops no less. Did this get Congressional approval? As for human rights abuses, the USA does not have the best track record.
Yup, it's election time - GWB found himself in an economic recession following the tech bubble deflation (Clinton escaped that by the skin of his teeth) so rode in his second term on 2 wars - "There's" terrorists under the bed, I'll keep you safe","Can't change horses in midstream", "Time to get behind the CIC", rah, rah, rah, blah, blah, blah.
Will it work for the big O? I'd like to say "NO, not this time!", but every time i think the folks have finally "wised up", they prove me wrong ....
It didn't work for Daddy Bush, so maybe, just maybe, unless of course, O ups the ante - what this Iran nonsense is all about? He won't make jobs, he won't redistribute wealth, he won't help the environment, but, damn, there is one thing he does know how to do - make war ....
Our past several Pres. have found making war in the Middle East very useful for their election campaigns -
At some point in time, sombody actually said: "How do you ask somebody to be the last person to die for a mistake?" I think it was John Kerry, sometime before he became a billionaire. I have a similar question: "Who wants to be the first to die for Obama's re-election campaign?" Sounds nobel, eh? How about this one, from a slightly different perspective "Who wants to have someone they care about hurt because of Obama's zeal to distract us from pressing, serious economic concerns and raise one billion dollars for his campaign?" Not as catchy... how about a more graphic tone: "Who want's to kill Africans for Obama?" Ah, perfect.
its all china's fault really
*hey my dear african friends, we're gonna r2p u from the accursed chinese colonists*
http://tinyurl.com/3guyb7q
dont worry,
libya is already *mission accomplished*
"US President Barack Obama has announced he is deploying 100 "combat-equipped" troops to Uganda to help efforts against rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), who Washington accuse of grievous human rights abuses."
Accusations is all takes today. Shouldn't we have taken this to the UN like we did Libya? Why did we skip that step with Uganda?
Good question gardenernorcal
Because they burning their bridges as they go, because, they don't give fluck any more, because the diplomatic skin is GONE, because, human right organisations world wide are no longer condemning US invasions imperial invasions, because slowly ALL NGOs are timidly passing the BATON of universal justice, fairness, ethics, moral & human & a humain world to the EMPIRE, because AFRICA is the weakest continuant, because they can, because of the black hole CALLED wall street, notice the leader seldom TALKS about the WEEKLY INVASIONS IN Africa, I guess its not politically correct.
We have in USA two Americas the ONE THAT WAS LOOKING FOR A DREAM & FOUND IT, it was a wrong number & THE ONE THAT SPELLS THE OTHER AMERcia differently.
While THE WORLD IS BUSY, Israel is having the fun of its life, huge projects in Jerusalem, the new ethnic cleansing, forget Cinderella she can sleep outside.
No state terror no torture just truth
This article has prompted me to read up on Uganda and its oil reserves. It appears that Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni is a Khadaffi in the making. He has held secret talks with oil companies and refuses to make actual contracts public. Museveni has put an elite force commanded by his son, recently promoted Col. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, in charge of oil wells security. A private security firm, Saracen, which is owned by his younger brother, Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho aka Salim Saleh is also involved. It appears that our government is cuddling another dictator.
Hertiage oil just found huge oil reserves in Uganda, but of course, that has nothing to do with it! I am sure BO only wants to bring them freedom and democracy and protect Ugandans from the LRA 's human rights abuses and the fact that they may steal their oil.
Isn't this the way the Korean war started...sending a handful of "advisers"??? Will this country every quit disturbing the shit all over the world?