U.S. Moves Rwandan Civilian Police to War-Torn Darfur

American Forces Press Service ^ | Aug 8, 2005 | unattributed

[SandRat]

STUTTGART-VAIHINGEN, Germany, Aug. 8, 2005 – A U.S.-contracted commercial aircraft moved 49 Rwandan civilian police officers from Kigali, Rwanda, to El Fashir airfield in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan Aug. 7. The move was in response to a request by the African Union to NATO. The movement of civilian police and AU peace monitors is part of an effort that began July 14, when 150 U.S. Air Force personnel from Germany and England deployed to provide logistical and airlift support of Rwandan forces as part of the African Union's expanded mission in Sudan, or AMIS II. The AU plans to increase its presence in the region to more than 7,700 personnel by September.

NATO officials notified the U.S. by of the AU's desire to move the civilian officers on Aug. 5, Air Force Brig. Gen. Richard Mills, deputy director of the U.S. European Command Plans and Operations Center here, said.

"The AU wanted to move the civilian police into theater as quickly as possible," Mills said. "Once we were notified, a plan went into action to rapidly transport them, space available, in conjunction with the ongoing deployment of the second Rwandan military battalion."

As part of a larger NATO effort, the U.S. is airlifting three battalions of Rwandan troops to Darfur by mid September. Movement of the first battalion's 680 troops and 14,500 pounds of cargo began July 17 and was completed July 27 by U.S. Air Force C-17 and C-130 aircraft. The C-130s also returned 190 previously deployed Rwandan troops from El Fashir back to Kigali. Those U.S. aircraft and personnel have returned to home station.

Two additional Rwandan battalions, of approximately 540 soldiers each, are being flown via U.S. contracted commercial airlift. Movement of the second battalion commenced on Aug 2 and finished Aug. 7. Planners at EUCOM anticipate the third Rwandan battalion will be flown to El Fashir around Sept. 10-19. A small number of U.S. military remain in Kigali to support the contracted movements.

President Bush on July 15 authorized an additional $6 million in emergency spending for the Defense Department to support the transportation of African Union forces to Darfur to help improve security and enable humanitarian assistance to relieve suffering to those displaced by conflict in the region.

(From a U.S. European Command news release.)

[Red6]

CRAZY!!!!

When I mention this to people, most don't even know what I'm talking about.

No one cares about us in Sinai, Liberia, Haiti, Republic of Georgia, Columbia, Sudan, South Korea, Philippines, Kosovo or Bosnia, East Timor or anywhere else.

However, give a European an Abu Gahrib story and they will still talk about it three years later. UNBELIEVABLE!

It seems that our own MSM --ONLY-- tears open their mouth and reports on anything if its "controversial". The Europeans only care to "nit pick" as to our real objectives and method of operating. That way they feel justified in their “do nothing” and “appeasement” attitude.

It's sad. 37,000 Americans are stationed in Korea, and the ONLY time these men will get any media coverage is if someone does something wrong or there is some demonstration. Since 1982 we’ve had soldiers on the ground in the Sinai, we’ve even had dead in this time. Does our MSM care?

In talking to most Europeans it becomes quickly evident that they only care about the Abu Gahrib stories. They don't want to know anything else. They want to hear long jumbled sentences where “hegemony, imperialist, oil, Bush, Cowboy” are all somehow smashed together in one sentence. That’s why the Halliburton story went over so well over there. To bad it’s all BS and has been proven as such, but it fits into the picture they “want” to see.

As a service member I quickly learned that our media only cares about what they see as something capable of selling. They don't care about the truth or reality on the ground. They're after money, and that requires controversy, scandals, shocking stories (Michael Moore’s shock effect) with graphic pictures, even if taken out of context or just flat out made up.

Red6

[SandRat]

As a Retired Army veteran of the Fonda Era but not her fellow travelors playground you are learning what we all knew and still know the LameStreamMeadia are scum and not to be trusted. If you can find them ask but be prepared to get your ears burnt what Nam Vets still on active service really think about the LSM.