US general does not see American troops in Somalia
Source: Reuters
By Kristin Roberts WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - A U.S. general seen by some as a contender to lead the Pentagon's Africa operations said on Friday he does not expect American troops to go into Somalia, where al Qaeda has urged defeated Islamists to start an Iraq-style insurgency. "Situations change but I do not see it now, and there's nothing that I've heard that implies that at all," said Gen. William Ward, deputy commander of U.S. European Command and a former brigade commander in Somalia. Ward told reporters in Washington that the State Department was playing the lead role in Washington's efforts in Somalia and that the assistant secretary of state for African affairs was meeting with Ethiopian and Ugandan officials on how the United States might assist Somalia and neighboring countries. "I don't know the results of all of those discussions yet but I think that those are positive to the degree that the neighbors of Somalia are assisting," he said. Islamists who controlled much of southern Somalia were ousted by Ethiopian forces defending Somalia's interim government after two weeks of war. Western and African diplomats have called for peacekeepers as an al Qaeda leader on Thursday urged Islamists to start an insurgency against Ethiopian forces. Somalia raises dark memories for the U.S. military after the 1993 Mogadishu battle with Somali militias that killed 18 U.S. Army Rangers, an event depicted in the book and film "Black Hawk Down." Pentagon officials have repeatedly said the U.S. military is not assisting or advising Ethiopian or Somali forces. The U.S. Navy said British-led coalition ships have been parked off the east coast of Africa to "show a presence." Some defense officials have said Ward would be considered for the position of commander for the Pentagon's planned Africa Command.
| AlertNet news is provided by |  |
