French Troops Land in Comoros
Gunfire erupted at dawn today as French Special Forces troops landed in the capital of the Comoro Islands in an effort to oust foreign mercenaries who had toppled the government.
The crackle of gunfire could be heard from a hotel a few miles outside the center of Moroni, where the fighting was believed to be occurring near an abandoned airport close to the harbor. Two French warships could be seen offshore.
Reuters correspondent Mark Dodd said he saw two Special Forces soldiers in the harbor area and a Comoran soldier lying dead, face down in a pool of blood.
“This morning at dawn, France engaged in a military operation in the Comoros at the request of the prime minister of that country,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
France is the former colonial ruler of the three impoverished islands off Africa’s east coast.
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