Obama Sends US Troops to Central Africa
Troops Dispatched to Hunt Lord's Resistance Army Leadership
The White House Friday released the text of a letter from President Obama to the Speaker of the House and the President Pro-tem of the Senate notifying Congress that he is taking military action in Central Africa. The first of about 100 troops has been sent to Uganda. Their mission, according to the President's letter, is to "provide information, advice, and assistance to select partner nation forces" in their fight against the Lord's Resistance Army. As requested by each nation, the troops will be available to deploy to South Sudan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as Uganda.
The cult-like Lord's Resistance Army has been terrorizing the nations of Central Africa since 1991. Originally intent on forcing changes to the government of Uganda, the group in recent years has expanded its depredations into neighboring nations. The group practices mass abductions, especially of children. General Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, recently had this to say: "If you ever had any question if there's evil in the world, it's resident in the person of Joesph Kony and that organization."
Africa Command and the U.S. Army - Africa have a great deal of experience in the region. In 2009, various East and Central African nations joined with the United States to conduct a military exercise in Northern Uganda, in the heart of the LRA's zone of terror. In April, 2011, the U.S. conducted another training exercise with the Ugandan military.
According to the President's letter, U.S. forces will not engage the LRA except in self-defense. They will, however, be equipped for combat. The first troops departed for Uganda on Oct. 12 and the entire mission will be deployed within the next month.
The cult-like Lord's Resistance Army has been terrorizing the nations of Central Africa since 1991. Originally intent on forcing changes to the government of Uganda, the group in recent years has expanded its depredations into neighboring nations. The group practices mass abductions, especially of children. General Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Africa Command, recently had this to say: "If you ever had any question if there's evil in the world, it's resident in the person of Joesph Kony and that organization."
Africa Command and the U.S. Army - Africa have a great deal of experience in the region. In 2009, various East and Central African nations joined with the United States to conduct a military exercise in Northern Uganda, in the heart of the LRA's zone of terror. In April, 2011, the U.S. conducted another training exercise with the Ugandan military.
According to the President's letter, U.S. forces will not engage the LRA except in self-defense. They will, however, be equipped for combat. The first troops departed for Uganda on Oct. 12 and the entire mission will be deployed within the next month.
Published by Charles Simmins
Charles Simmins is a native Western New Yorker with nearly thirty years of experience at senior level accounting positions in non-profit and for profit organizations. He was a volunteer firefighter, and a vo... View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentEven though I didn't vote for him, primarily because of my lost faith in the voting process and system, I still like President Obama, and believe he's doing the best he can with things. Could things be better? Of course they could, but I think after all the losses the so-called, 'War on Terror' has brought us the last 10yrs, and with the current state of the economy, his primary concerns show be taking care of home--Rebuilding the U.S.
Its almost as though we've regressed to the post-Vietnam era; think about it. . .The economy was mess, veterans couldn't find jobs and adequate healthcare, etc... Its no different today, but yet, with all this taking place, the U.S. still wants to play 'big-brother' to other nations, when its not even taking care of its own. There comes a time when the big brother has to let his sibling(s) fight their own battles--That time has come for the U.S.