A US Army special forces captain speaks with troops from the Central African Republic (CAR) and Uganda, in Obo, CAR, April 29, 2013.
US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has ordered the US military to help transport African Union troops from Burundi to the violence-stricken Central African Republic (CAR).
The US Air Force will use C-17 transport planes to transport roughly 850 Burundian soldiers in the coming days in coordination with France, the Pentagon announced on Monday.
Hagel directed US AFRICOM to begin the flights after a discussion by phone on Sunday with French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who requested “limited” US military assistance to support the international effort, Pentagon spokesman Carl Woog said.
“In the near term, France has requested airlift support to enable African forces to deploy promptly,” Woog said.
France is deploying 1,600 troops to CAR, a former colony that has been stricken by violence in recent days after Christian militias, who support ousted President Francois Bozizé, attacked several Muslim neighborhoods of Bangui.
The Red Cross says nearly 400 people have been killed by the recent fighting only in the CAR capital Bangui and that the death toll could rise.
France claims the aim of the mission is to create stability in the country in order to allow humanitarian aid to reach violence-hit areas.
There are many mineral resources, including gold and diamond, in the Central African Republic. However, the country is extremely poor and has faced a series of rebellions and coups since it gained independence in 1960.
The US military has stepped up its focus on Africa in the past year. With some 4,000-5,000 personnel on the ground at any given time, the United States now has more troops in Africa than at any point since its Somalia intervention two decades ago.
That ended in humiliation and withdrawal after the 1993 “Blackhawk Down” debacle in which 18 US soldiers died.
AHT/AGB
Source: Press TV