No Combat Role for U.S. Advisers in Uganda, Official Says

This past week, the United States has sent out 100 military advisors to work with the Uganda military. The United States specifically wants to capture Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord’s Resistance Army. This is a bold move by the United States after the devastation in Somalia when US soldiers were dragged across the street during the Clinton administration. Virgina Blaser clarifies the US mission in Uganda in this article, explaining that the majority of advisors are going to stay in Uganda to work with their military, but small groups will be sent out to “field locations” in the jungle where the LRA are known to be operating from. Other areas that these US troops are likely to be working in are Central Africa Republic, Congo, and South Sudan. The current role of the US does not include direct combat, however if the LRA retaliates in violence, the US troops have already been given the approval to engage in combat for self-defense. With no deadline for pulling out troops, it will be interesting to see if the United States involvement in the operation to dissolve the LRA and capture Joseph Kony will lead to more field missions for US soldiers.

Kathleen Fultz

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/world/africa/no-combat-role-for-us-advisers-in-uganda-official-says.html?_r=1&ref=africa