Reinforced U.S. Troops Resume Somalia Patrols

Reinforced with fresh troops and tanks, U.S. military forces are once again patrolling the streets of war-torn Mogadishu to protect humanitarian aid convoys from attacks by rival Somali warlords, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

U.S. military personnel in Somalia had been confined to their bases after a series of ambushes resulted in the deaths of more than 70 U.N. troops. But with the arrival of additional troops and armor and a large contingent of Marines on ships offshore, U.S. troops have returned to their role of ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches Somalia’s hungry and needy.

Navy Capt. Michael Doubleday, a Pentagon spokesman, while confirming the resumption of the humanitarian mission, added that there is no longer a secondary goal of arresting clan leader Mohammed Farah Aidid.

The United Nations declared the warlord a fugitive and attempted to capture him after he was accused of a series of attacks on aid convoys and an ambush that resulted in the deaths of 24 Pakistani peacekeepers. But the effort was a costly one. In one battle following a raid on an Aidid stronghold, 18 U.S. troops were killed.

Their deaths led to criticism of the strategy, and it ultimately was abandoned.

“We have made it very clear,” Doubleday said, “that we are not actively pursuing Aidid at this point.”

But Doubleday also made clear that U.S. troops would not be deterred by any clan efforts to stop the humanitarian convoys.

“If there are roadblocks that are impeding the flow of humanitarian support,” he said, “then you will see whatever level of vehicle is required to open the roadblock.”

The new troop movements increase the risks faced by U.S. forces but also could help prevent chaos and rampant lawlessness from returning after the United States pulls out of the area by March 31, a deadline set by President Clinton.

Doubleday said that the new U.S. military effort has four goals. The first three, he said, are to protect U.S. forces in their bases in Mogadishu, to keep open and secure the roads and communications that allow food and other assistance to reach the needy and to keep pressure on any groups that try to cut off relief supplies or attack U.S. forces.

The fourth goal could be the most important once the United States leaves the East African nation.

“We are hoping to help make it possible for the Somali people to work among themselves and, with outside help, to solve their own problems so that they can live in peace and survive after we finally depart Somalia,” Doubleday said.

To that end, U.N. officials and Somali clan leaders met Thursday to consider how to keep tensions down in Mogadishu. Ten of 13 invited Somali elders attended the second meeting of the Mogadishu Security Advisory Committee on Thursday, compared to only four who showed up for the first session a week ago.

Included in the discussions Thursday were representatives of Aidid and Ali Mahdi Mohamed, a rival clan leader whose base is in the northern half of the city.

U.N. officials said that although little of substance was agreed upon during the two-hour session, they were pleased that at least the rival factions had met.

“Disarmament was a major topic of discussion,” said Capt. Tim McDavitt, a U.N. military spokesman in Mogadishu. “There was an indication from the participants that they supported disarmament for the peace of Mogadishu.”

Clan fighting has erupted in Mogadishu in the last week. In an indication of the number of weapons still in the hands of the divisive groups, dozens of rocket-propelled grenades and thousands of rounds of ammunition have been fired in recent days, increasing fears that civil war is imminent.

Doubleday said that 7,561 U.S. troops are now ashore in Mogadishu, supported by about two dozen tanks and other armored vehicles. Marines aboard ships offshore will go ashore soon in small groups to familiarize themselves with the local terrain, Doubleday said.