Marines Head to Waters Off Bosnia in Case Peacekeeper Rescue Needed

The Clinton Administration dispatched 2,000 U.S. Marines to waters off Bosnia-Herzegovina on Friday in case they are needed to help rescue U.N. peacekeeping forces being held hostage by Serbian nationalists.

The Marines are assigned to a Navy amphibious group that includes a helicopter aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship. It was on a port call in southern France before Friday’s order.

The action followed a flurry of telephone conversations between top U.S. policy-makers and their counterparts in the United Nations and in European governments that have peacekeeping troops stationed in Bosnia.

U.S. officials said the major mission of the Marines will be to stand by to help rescue the U.N. peacekeepers if the Serbs should start harming them or holding them as political hostages.

The Marine Expeditionary Unit to which the troops are attached is trained in rescue procedures and includes a special operations unit. It is also equipped with mechanized weapons.

U.S. officials said the deployment is the only military action the Administration is contemplating now.

The amphibious group now on its way to Bosnia is expected to reach the Adriatic Sea in a couple of days. The flagship of the group is the Nassau, a helicopter carrier.