Afghanistan and Iraq hasn’t worked out as well as was hoped by our leaders in the last decade.
In a previous post in which I gave my opinion that the Ukraine and Crimea issue would end up exactly as it turned out, I also hinted that Africa was where we, the USA, would be taking a more active role.
To quote myself from that post, “Meanwhile, as our attention is focused on Ukraine, behind the curtain where the real story lies is the U.S. and China making moves to control the natural resources of African nations.”
China, if you aren’t aware, has been making numerous visits to African nations, looking to open trade and gain influence in the region. They are also aware of the untapped resources found in and on that continent.
It’s taken less time than I thought it would for President Obama to get some troops on the ground under some type of pretense for sending them there.
In an expanded attempt to continue the hunt for warlord Joseph Kony, President Obama has authorized the deployment of military aircraft and about 150 Special Operations forces to Uganda.
According to the Washington Post, the administration notified Congress of the deployments as they began on Sunday, and the troop movement was later confirmed to Reuters by the Defense Department.
The move marks the first time that US military aircraft have been assigned to Uganda in order to help search for Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Under Obama’s orders, at least four CV-22 Osprey aircraft are scheduled to arrive in the country by the middle of the week, alongside a contingent of 150 Air Force Special Operations troops, pilots, and maintenance forces.
The Post reports that the new influx of troops will “provide information, advice and assistance” to the African Union forces searching for Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. The troops are “combat-equipped,” but are barred from fighting the LRA themselves except in self-defense situations. The aircraft, meanwhile, will be used to move troops from one location to another.
Despite the increased US presence, the troop deployment comes at a time when Kony’s whereabouts are unknown, though he and approximately 250 troops are believed to be hiding somewhere in the jungles bordering the Central African Republic, South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. Already, a 5,000-unit African Union force is searching for Kony, but the LRA’s attack presence has dwindled 75 percent since 2010, and the man has not been sighted recently.
It won’t be a total loss.
Uganda is rated #39 on the “most corrupt” list of 170 nations and they have oil.
A lot of it.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
