milk Posted August 20, 2004 US Troops 'On Kenya-Somali Border Watch' - Friday, August 20, 2004 at 22:46 The Nation (Nairobi) August 19, 2004 Kevin J Kelley New York - American troops are helping their Kenyan counterparts to patrol the Somalia border, the commander of its task force in the Horn has said. The revelation came during an Associated Press interview with Brig-Gen Samuel Helland, the head of a 2,000-strong US anti-terrorism force that has been in Djibouti for the past two years. The patrols involve an unspecified number of US and Kenyan troops, and appear to be intended to help to prevent terrorists from crossing into Kenya. But when contacted, an officer at Kenya's Department of Defence said the country had not signed any pact with the US for joint operations. It had signed only a memorandum of understanding to exchange views on combating terrorism. He admitted that the US military, jointly with that of Kenya, was holding the joint operation, which he termed "hunting for criminals" across the Somalia border, after the bombing of Paradise Hotel at Kikambala, in Mombasa's north coast, in November 2002. But the US embassy in Nairobi said the exercise involved the Kenyan navy and that of the US for training purposes only. Brig-Gen Helland, however, told AP that while the Djibouti-based US task force had not helped to foil specific terrorist strikes, its work with the local forces had prevented attacks. "I think the terrorist organisations that were in the Horn of Africa are still here," he said in an August 17 AP dispatch from Nairobi. "The war against terrorism takes a long time." In addition to conducting patrols and training increasing numbers of forces in Kenya and other Horn countries, the US task force provides aid to local civilians, he added. That helps improve America's reputation in the area, while building support for the local government. Brig-Gen Helland's comments were made on the same day US officials in Washington were briefing reporters on plans for a global repositioning of American troops. And the Horn task force's activities appear consistent with the Bush administration's reported intentions regarding a US military presence in the sub-Saharan region. Powered by AllPuntland.com Copyright ©AllPuntland.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
