Marines Set to Defend Embassy in Liberia

[Seraphim]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030721/capt.1058814324.liberia_dkb108.jpg

U.S. Marines arrive by helicopter to protect the U.S. Embassy in the Liberian capital Monrovia Monday, July 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=World&cat=Liberia

http://www.msnbc.com/news/937616.asp

[Light Fighter]

Funny how history repeats itself. The Marines protected the embassy in Khe Sahn and look how that turned out.

[Duke]

What?! Do you mean Khe Sanh in Viet Nam?

[budanski]

The embassy was in Saigon. Khe Sanh was a military base.

http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue9711/req_images/Req14.jpg

[ibstolidude]

ahhh.... marines protect embassies all over the world

[usa320]

What he said.

[Light Fighter]

Thats right, I goofed, Siagon, not Khe Sahn, getting dumb with old age :bash:

[Seraphim]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030721/capt.1058819709.liberia_dkb116.jpg

U.S. Marines arrive by helicopter in the rain to help secure the U.S. Embassy in the Liberian capital Monrovia Monday, July 21, 2003. The Marines are not here for peacekeeping duties. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Theres a video of it on this link
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030722/ap_on_re_af/liberia&cid=515&ncid=716

[FallenAngel]

hmmm...

41 Marines versus thousands of Rebels....


...man...I almost feel sorry for the Rebels :D

[Seraphim]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/937616.asp?vts=072220030005

More info on the link.


MONROVIA, Liberia, July 21 — Marines swooped in and helped evacuate 23 people from the U.S. Embassy in Liberia on Monday as mortar fire rained down around the compound and other parts of the capital, killing at least 90 people. The 41 Marines flew in on helicopters to reinforce embassy security in what could be a prelude to the arrival of a 2,000-strong Marine force in a few weeks.


Marines of the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Security Team, wearing green camouflage, body armor and helmets, flew into the embassy from nearby Sierra Leone and took off carrying 23 people.

[Seraphim]

Rebel Leader Calls for Cease-Fire

http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=World&cat=Liberia


A Liberian rebel group engaged in an all-out battle for the country's war-torn capital said Tuesday they have ordered their troops to stop fighting. "Our troops are being told to cease fire," said Charles Benny, an official with the rebel movement Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, or LURD, currently in nearby Ghana for peace talks. The call to stop fighting comes the day after a thunderous barrage of shells rained down on the city in the bloodiest fighting in two months.

http://www.msnbc.com/news/937616.asp?vts=072220030945


STORM OF MORTARS
In fierce fighting Monday, a storm of mortars rocked residential neighborhoods along with two U.S. Embassy compounds in the third attempt by rebels to take Monrovia, Taylor’s last stronghold.
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American helicopters landed in the embassy compound in a driving rain Monday, dropping off about half of a 41-member Marine security team. The troops, who were sent to beef up security at the embassy, evacuated about 23 foreign humanitarian workers and journalists.
Clutching bags and backpacks, the evacuees ran to the spinning aircraft as Marines and embassy officials shouted: “Go! Go!” Among them were the United Nations’ last seven foreign staffers, who had returned to Monrovia just two weeks earlier during a lull in fighting.
Thousands of angry Liberians stood outside the embassy asking when U.S. troops would come to protect them. Refugees hurled rocks at an NBC News crew that approached the scene, demanding to know whether reporter Michael Davie was American. Davie, who is in Monrovia on assignment for MSNBC’s “National Geographic Explorer,” is Australian.

“People are dying!” a refugee yelled. “They can’t come in to rescue us?”