Rifle fire strikes U.S. C-130 during airdrop over Mali

[unhappycamper]

Rifle fire strikes U.S. C-130 during airdrop over Mali
By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes,
European edition, Wednesday, September 19, 2007

STUTTGART, Germany — A U.S. military plane was struck by rifle fire last week in Mali while flying food and water to besieged Malian troops in the northern African nation.

The plane, an MC-130 based at RAF Mildenhall in England, was fired upon on Sept. 12 while flying the second of two missions to a military garrison in northeastern Mali.

The 40-ton plane returned to the capital of Bamako after sustaining minor fuselage damage, according to Maj. John Dorrian, a spokesman for the Stuttgart-based U.S. European Command.

~snip~

The attackers were believed to be indigenous Taureg rebels who have been fighting for some years for a Taureg state separate from Mali and other bordering nations.

Al-Qaida was not believed to be involved in the attack, Dorrian said.

The U.S. military has for years stated that one of its primary goals when working in Africa was to help build the capabilities of nations to police and defend themselves.


Rest of article at: http://stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=48870


uhc comment: We have 'successfully' trained terror and deaths squads in central America for years at SOA/WHINSEC. This almost sounds like a School of the Africas.

More info on SOA/WHINSEC --> http://www.soaw.org/

Take a look at their top story.

SOA/WHINSEC Instructors Jailed for Involvement in Colombian Drug Cartel