Posted on 11/29/2011 6:02:41 PM PST by Pan_Yan
SECURITY: US advisers limited to "support" role in tracking down LRA
NEW YORK, 22 November 2011 (IRIN) - The main stated aim of the US deployment of 100 military advisers to central Africa is to improve coordination among the armies of countries affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) to avoid repeating the fiasco of the 2008 multinational offensive against the group.
They “are not directly involved in the operation to find members of the Lord's Resistance Army”, said Major James Rawlinson of the US Special Operations Command, Africa, in a statement to IRIN. While they will be “working and living closely with African security forces”, the focus is “on enabling their ability to better conduct command and control, planning and coordination”.
In testimony before the US Congress in October, Alexander Vershbow, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, said “the bulk” of the 100 advisers would be based in Uganda but “small teams would deploy forward in partnership with local forces, to help them improve their skills on the front-lines”.
They will carry small-arms weapons only for self-defence, he said. Vershbow would not describe the weapons for the Congressional panel.
The main goal, both said, is to help the militaries of Uganda, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Central African Republic (CAR) share intelligence, which would allow for prompt and concerted action against the LRA.
The failure of Operation Lightning Thunder in 2008 against an LRA camp by Uganda, the DRC and South Sudan, was blamed on poor coordination among the combatant forces and a lack of operational secrecy. Seventeen US military advisers provided support for the operation.
In its immediate aftermath, LRA units went on the rampage, killing hundreds of civilians and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.
At present, 440,000 civilians in the region are displaced, most in DRC, because of LRA activities, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Our intention is to supplement host nation military efforts with advice and assistance that maximizes the flow of information to, and synchronizes the activities of host nation units in the field,” said Rawlinson.
Vershbow said he hoped “fusing the intelligence information with the operational plans” would lead to the elimination of “the remaining leadership of the LRA".
Raising questions
Congressman Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, criticized Vershbow for being “vague” about the US operations. In comments to CNN, Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, echoed those sentiments: “The LRA is one of the most atrocious and barbaric organizations in history and I applaud the goal, but I would like to know more.”
Richard Downie, a fellow and deputy director of the Africa Programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, cautioned that the increased US involvement did not guarantee the LRA’s days were numbered.
“I think you do have to be a little bit cautious in your expectations,” he said. “The difficult thing here is ultimately the responsibility is going to lie with the militaries on the ground.”
Ashley Benner, a policy analyst for the Enough Project, a Washington-based NGO that advocated for the US mission, worried that only sending advisers “will not make enough of an impact and, when the desired results are not seen, will likely lead to their premature withdrawal”.
She called on the Obama administration to urge African countries to improve their special forces, convince European countries to provide logistical assistance, defuse tensions between regional governments, and ensure the protection of civilians.
“The advisers should be tasked with helping to develop and coordinate a targeted apprehension strategy and improve US oversight of mission planning and execution,” she said. “Only then do we have a real chance of finally apprehending Joseph Kony and his senior commanders and bringing them to justice.”
For more, visit IRIN's in-depth: On the trail of the LRA
pd/am/mw
As usual the Feds love the Muzzies and will do anything to protect them at the cost of Christian lives.
I hope our troops are all up to date on their shots.
Of course, there are diseases there that no shots have been created for.
I’d rather see the LRA do counter-jihads all day against the Muzzies than see the Feds protecting Muzzies. What do you think Kosovo was all about when Clinton was in office. It was about protecting those Muzzie terrorists from the evil Serbs who coincidentally on the Christian side of the aisle.
But that's not what the LRA does. This not a matter of Christians versus Muslim. The LRA doesn't attack governments. They go into villages and murder everyone they don't turn into slaves. They take the boys and raise them to be killers; forcing children to shoot victims, including their own family members. This is not a matter of "Feds" protecting "Muzzies". It's a matter of several governments with our support trying to stop some truly evil villains that for 20 years have been littering East Africa with mutilated orphans.
Think of all of the conflicts raging at the world at this very moment. Why does the US need to stick its nose into this one?
I’d like to know exactly what the strategic threat the LRA poses to the US..
I have no idea. Congress seems fully behind this one as well. In fact, I doubt very many people even know we've had boots on the ground since the 9th according to the sketchy reporting there has been. The networks haven't made a peep that I've seen. I think us sticking 100 soldiers in what is probably one the three most dangerous areas in the world should be bigger news.
First, they [al Qaeda] tried to connect up with Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army. However, Kony had other ideas and turned out to be difficult to deal with. Although, he was given initial funding, and some of his men were trained in al-Qaeda camps.- “Can Uganda Handle Terrorism?,” OPINION, by Joshua Kato, Kampala, New Vision (Kampala), May 22, 2003 ,Posted to the web May 23, 2003
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