Wednesday, October 14, 2015

US sends soldiers to Cameroon

Shouldn't this be a big deal? Helene Cooper, Obama Orders 300 Troops to Cameroon to Support Fight Against Boko Haram New York Times 10/14/2015.

The President announced today and formally notified Congress that the US was sending 300 troops to Camaroon to fight a guerrilla group called Boko Haram. Cooper reports:

In a letter to Congress, Mr. Obama said that the troops would provide “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” in the region. The White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, said that the troops would be armed for their protection but that they would not engage in combat.

Mr. Obama said that an advance force of about 90 military personnel had begun deploying to Cameroon, which borders Nigeria, on Monday. Administration officials said that unarmed Predator drones would be sent with the troops, who will aid a multinational task force composed of soldiers from Cameroon, Chad, Benin, Niger and Nigeria.

The United States has been providing training and equipment to Nigerian forces as part of the effort to defeat Boko Haram.
The Times gave it a minor story.

The United States is directly involved in a war in Camaroon.

Remembering the quote for which Ambrose Bierce is usually given credit, though I'm not sure it's ever been documented, "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography," here is a map of Camaroon:

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