Posted on 11/07/2004 8:53:38 AM PST by SmithL
BIDJAN, Ivory Coast -- Machete-waving mobs looted and burned in Ivory Coast's largest cities Sunday, laying siege to a French military base and searching house to house for French families after a day of sudden clashes between forces of France and its former colony.
France's military sent helicopters to pluck trapped expatriates from buildings as other helicopters and armored vehicles moved out to confront the mobs, lobbing volleys of tear gas and percussion grenades that sent rioters fleeing.
French gunships took up positions at bridges in skyscraper-lined Abidjan on Sunday, a day after seizing control of the country's two airports and flying in 600 reinforcements.
Faced with the confrontation with France, the Ivory Coast government reluctantly moved to call off its offensive against rebels who control the northern part of the country. The government broke a more than year-old cease-fire last week by launching airstrikes against the rebels.
The government said Sunday it was willing to cease fire and that it would pull back its troops. French retaliation on Saturday for a surprise bombing of French peacekeepers destroyed Ivory Coast's tiny air force and left its airports under French control.
The government took a defiant tone toward France. Ivory Coast will ask the U.N. Security Council for action against France, presidential spokesman Desire Tagro told The Associated Press.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
It's France's next Vietnam! Which means we should stay the heck out of it.
How about legitimate Ivory coast military are forced to use any means necessary to fend off Muslim jihadists and their French backers in a religious coup attempt.
Yep.
Surely ther must be a diplomatic solution to this rather then using force. Come on, Jaques! Talk to them for a little while.
And sKerry wanted THESE guys to come help us in Iraq???
Yes, France acted without UN approval. They didn't even pass a global test.
Chien mechant, Jacques!
Well, they lost a war to Greenpeace, so I'd be looking for a surrender soon.
Support Côte d'Ivoire.
I love the smell of cocoa in the morning.
bump
The "antiwar" groups only mobilize when there is a chance to attack America. This is a perfect example of that.
Exactly, the only cambat capable fighting force they have in made up of people of other nations.
I am reminded of a famous quote on the subject...
A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight; nothing he cares about more than his own personal safety; is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better persons than himself."
John Stuart Mill, 1806-1873
I seem to recall at one point the Ivory Coast was considered one of Africa's more stable countries. Then of course the Muslims messed things up with the help of the French.
That's right, but it could be even more strictly stated. They only mobilize to attack America when a Republican is in charge.
There were no massive protests when Clinton was bombing civilian targets in Kosovo, and the few protests which happened fizzled when the press would not cover them.
By contrast, there was a huge uproar over a few civilian casualties in Afghanistan. The protesters are merely radical leftist whores and the press are their pimps.
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