# In Vast Jungle, U.S. Troops Aid in Search for Kony



## High_Gravity

I thought we were there for training?

In Vast Jungle, U.S. Troops Aid in Search for Kony









> OBO, Central African Republic  It has got to be one of the oddest matchups in United States military history.
> 
> One hundred of Americas elite Special Operations troops, aided by night vision scopes and satellite imagery, are helping African forces find a wig-wearing, gibberish-speaking fugitive rebel commander named Joseph Kony who has been hiding out in the jungle for years with a band of child soldiers and a harem of dozens of child brides.
> 
> No one knows exactly where Mr. Kony is, but here in Obo, at a remote forward operating post in the Central African Republic, Green Berets pore over maps and interview villagers, hopeful for a clue.
> 
> Their biggest challenge, they say, is Mr. Konys turf, a vast expanse the size of California in the middle of Africa that is so rugged it renders much of the American gadgetry useless. Picture towering trees that blot out the sun, endless miles of elephant grass, and swirling brown rivers that coil like intestines and are infested with crocodiles; one of them recently ate a Ugandan member of the force.
> 
> This is not going to be an easy slog, said Ken Wright, a Navy SEAL captain and the commander of the joint American detachment assisting in the Kony hunt.
> 
> Still, in the past several months since they arrived, the Americans say Mr. Konys army of around 300 fighters is showing cracks. No longer is Mr. Kony able to direct the massacres he directed just a few years ago when his fighters waylaid entire towns and hacked hundreds of people to death. His armed acolytes are breaking up into small, desperate groups, American officials say, and for the first time they are abandoning many of the women and children they had abducted who cannot keep up as they flee deeper into the bush.
> 
> The Americans emphasize that they have no interest in participating in actual combat  This is strictly an advise and assist role, Captain Wright said, meant to strengthen the capabilities of African troops. Their deployment is emblematic of the Pentagons new military strategy for Africa, unfurled earlier this year, in which Pentagon officials say they will develop innovative, low-cost, and small-footprint approaches to achieve our security objectives on the African continent.
> 
> Already, American-paid contractors and intelligence agents are working quietly in Somalia. And small groups of American advisers have been training African armies for years, though it is not always clear how well this turns out. Just a few weeks ago, Malis democratic government was ousted in a coup led by none other than an American-trained army captain.



http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/w...y-us-forces-in-central-africa.html?ref=africa


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## High_Gravity

Joseph Kony Hunt: Caesar Acellam, Top LRA Commander, Captured, Says Uganda Official 



> KAMPALA, Uganda -- Ugandan forces captured a senior commander of Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army after a brief fight with rebels near the Congo-Central African Republic border, an army official said Sunday, in what an analyst said was an "intelligence coup" for forces hunting for Kony.
> 
> Lt. Col. Abdul Rugumayo, intelligence chief for Uganda's military operation against the LRA, said Caesar Acellam was captured Saturday with two other rebel fighters as they tried to cross a river called Mbomu.
> 
> Although Acellam is not one of the LRA commanders indicted along with Kony in 2005 by the International Criminal Court, Ugandan officials say he was one of Kony's top military strategists and a reliable fighter.
> 
> "He is in good condition," Rugumayo said of Acellam. "He was captured with two other rebels. They were in a group of 30 rebels."
> 
> He said the others escaped.
> 
> Details of precisely how Acellam was captured were not available, but some analysts said it was possible he had just walked into the hands of Ugandan army officials.
> 
> "He's been on the defection shelf for a long time," said Angelo Izama, a political analyst with the Kampala-based security think tank Fanaka Kwawote. "This is a big intelligence coup for the Ugandan army."
> 
> A Ugandan army official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press, said losing Acellam was a big blow to Kony, whose forces have become increasingly degraded by a lack of food and having to constantly move to elude capture.



Joseph Kony Hunt: Caesar Acellam, Top LRA Commander, Captured, Says Uganda Official


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## Saigon

Anything which is done to stop Kony is a good thing, and I'm delighted if US troops are taking a more active role. 

Removing him from the face of the map would be a real boost for morale in several countries.


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## High_Gravity

Saigon said:


> Anything which is done to stop Kony is a good thing, and I'm delighted if US troops are taking a more active role.
> 
> Removing him from the face of the map would be a real boost for morale in several countries.



Kony should have been hit by a cruise missile decades ago.


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## Saigon

He should, indeed! It couldn't happen to a nicer guy! 

There's a good book about him, btw, called 'Wizard of the Nile' - well worth a read.


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## Mad Scientist

Kony's been dead for about 5 years.

But that's OK, he's the new OBL right? Now America can spend Trillions more chasing his ghost around Africa in the name of "Freedom" when it's really all just for Empire. Just like in the Middle East.

But then after 5 or 10 years (however long the Military wants to play) a Special Forces raid will kill him and he'll be "buried at sea" in accordance with African custom. There'll be no pictures of course but that won't stop Hollywood from filming the blockbuster, All Star Hollywood cast movie about it.

And Americans will eat it up, just like they do with everything else.


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## Saigon

Mad Scientist said:


> Kony's been dead for about 5 years.



Right. And you know this...how, exactly?


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## High_Gravity

How you figure Kony has been dead?


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## Mad Scientist

*I'm* not saying it. *Ugandans* are saying it.

Kony: Ugandan Says Hes Already Dead | WebProNews

What *was* this:






Is *now this*:






Update your book marks accordingly!


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## Saigon

Mad Scientist - 

Not 'Ugandans', but a 'Ugandan' are saying it. 

So ONE person says this - and you present it as a solid fact. You KNOW it.


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## Mad Scientist

Saigon said:


> Mad Scientist -
> 
> Not 'Ugandans', but a 'Ugandan' are saying it.
> 
> So ONE person says this - and you present it as a solid fact. You KNOW it.


Again, Ugandans *have* been saying it and *are* saying it:
Joseph Kony: Ugandans Flay ?Kony 2012? Campaign, Say the Video is ?Totally Wrong? - International Business Times


> "There has not been a single soul from the LRA (KONY) here since 2006. Now we  have peace, people are back in their homes, they are planting their  fields, and they are starting their businesses. That is what people  should help us with."


See, if Americans were smart, they'd see that this is just a relaunch of the "Saddam Hussein harbors Terrorists" scam that they fell for after 9/11.

It's an excuse to send even more troops into Africa for more Empire.

(I'll wait for you to claim there are no US troops in Africa)


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## Saigon

Mad Scientist - 

Of course there are American troops in Africa - what on earth are you talking about?

Will you be presenting any real evidence of Kony's death, btw?


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## Mad Scientist

Saigon said:


> Mad Scientist -
> 
> Of course there are American troops in Africa - what on earth are you talking about?
> 
> Will you be presenting any real evidence of Kony's death, btw?


You lookin' for an autopsy report? A Death Certificate?

Ugandans say:
1. He's Dead.
or
2. He hasn't been around for at least 5 years.

So I can either believe that he's dead or just not around meaning, not effective. So there's no need for US Troops in Africa.


Please present evidence that he's still alive and conducting operations.


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## Saigon

Mad S - 

Most Ugandan media don't claim he is dead. We know he isn't in Uganda, and media in CAR still think he is probably alive. 

Certainly, he could be dead - I just see no evidence to suggest that he is. 

It's great US troops are there, and even if he is dead, any pressure placed on the remaining LRA is worthwhile.


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## Mad Scientist

Saigon said:


> Mad S -
> 
> *Most Ugandan media don't claim he is dead*. We know he isn't in Uganda, and media in CAR still think he is probably alive.
> 
> Certainly, he could be dead - I just see no evidence to suggest that he is.
> 
> It's great US troops are there, and even if he is dead, any pressure placed on the remaining LRA is worthwhile.


Most? So Ugandan FoxNews says he's dead, Ugandan MSNBC says he's still alive? You mean like that?

Either way Ugandan Forces are doing that just fine by themselves:
Ugandan forces capture Kony's top LRA commander | World news | guardian.co.uk

Interesting Fact: Uganda is just south of Sudan (which was recently split into Oil Sudan and Non-Oil Sudan). Would make the perfect staging base for US operations into Oil Sudan right?

Oh, but that's just a "Conspiracy Theory".


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## Saigon

Mad Scientist said:


> Interesting Fact: Uganda is just south of Sudan (which was recently split into Oil Sudan and Non-Oil Sudan). Would make the perfect staging base for US operations into Oil Sudan right?
> 
> :



Actually no, it wouldn't make the perfect base, because Uganda is separated from the oil fields by miles of swamps and jungle, followed by miles of desert. 

A better base might be Djibouti, or even Ethiopia or Tchad.


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## old navy

I for one think we need to be operating on the African continent. We and the Russians abandoned them after the Cold War and now China is extracting African assets for pennies on the yuan. There are plenty of ops that provide good training and a base from which to deploy. I don't know if Kony is dead but there are sources that state he has not been seen in 5 or 6 years. If alive though, his death or capture makes for a worthwhile project.


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## High_Gravity

old navy said:


> I for one think we need to be operating on the African continent. We and the Russians abandoned them after the Cold War and now China is extracting African assets for pennies on the yuan. There are plenty of ops that provide good training and a base from which to deploy. I don't know if Kony is dead but there are sources that state he has not been seen in 5 or 6 years. If alive though, his death or capture makes for a worthwhile project.



The US Military has been making moves to go into Africa for years, its not talked about but we have bases in Africa that our Military use, don't want to go into too much detail though.


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## old navy

High_Gravity said:


> old navy said:
> 
> 
> 
> I for one think we need to be operating on the African continent. We and the Russians abandoned them after the Cold War and now China is extracting African assets for pennies on the yuan. There are plenty of ops that provide good training and a base from which to deploy. I don't know if Kony is dead but there are sources that state he has not been seen in 5 or 6 years. If alive though, his death or capture makes for a worthwhile project.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The US Military has been making moves to go into Africa for years, its not talked about but we have bases in Africa that our Military use, *don't want to go into too much detail though*.
Click to expand...


If you tell me, you might have to kill me.


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## waltky

U.S. jungle warfare in Africa...

*U.S. expands its secret war in Africa*
_Sept. 24,`12 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's "secret wars" against al-Qaida are steadily widening, most notably in Africa, with the U.S. military's Special Forces Operation Command doubling in size and the CIA's strike capabilities undergoing a radical expansion, international analysts said._


> "Ad hoc global 'counter-terrorism' efforts that began under President George W. Bush, and were encouraged by Obama, have now become institutionalized -- and the bureaucracy that wages U.S. 'secret wars' will continue to expand for the next couple of years, particularly in Africa," Oxford Analytica observed in a recent assessment.  "Reliance on Special Forces and the CIA will increase in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future as conventional force numbers decline and move into a supporting role."  This marks a significant shift in the U.S.-led strategy in Afghanistan from conventional military power, as the Americans and their allies scale down forces in Afghanistan after an inconclusive 11-year-old war.  As al-Qaida's organization has broken into regional networks because of heavy losses suffered by al-Qaida Central from drone strikes in Pakistan, these groups have become independent operationally and have had some successes in North and West Africa.
> 
> The Americans' ability to wage Special Operations wars on a global scale has been strengthened by the creation of relatively small, often unobtrusive, military bases.  "Washington is in the process of a massive expansion of what are referred to internally as 'lily pads' that allow it a global strike capability," Oxford Analytica noted.  These include facilities in Kenya, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean off East Africa. Western military sources say the Americans are seeking to establish a base in newly independent South Sudan as well.  It's not hard to see why the Americans are suddenly so interested in Africa after virtually ignoring it for decades.
> 
> West Africa is emerging as a vital oil-producing zone, that's attracting China and India because of its mineral resources, including arable farmland, which they need to sustain their burgeoning economies.  East Africa is on the cusp of a major oil and natural gas bonanza, which makes it of particular interest to Beijing and New Delhi because its energy and mineral wealth can be shipped directly eastward across the Indian Ocean.  Some analysts view the Indian Ocean as a future conflict zone between China and India because of its sea lanes.  In 2007, the United States inaugurated the Africa Command to coordinate U.S. military affairs with governments across a continent wracked for decades by war and famine.
> 
> Read more: U.S. expands its secret war in Africa - UPI.com



See also:

*Clinton: Extremists Threaten New Democracies in North Africa, Mideast*
_ September 24, 2012 &#8212; U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says new democracies in North Africa and the Middle East are threatened by extremists exploiting old divisions. Clinton is meeting with foreign leaders before the U.N. General Assembly._


> Clinton said the international community must stand up against extremists who she said are exploiting popular frustrations in the Middle East and North Africa.  "Unity on this throughout the international community is crucial because extremists around the world are working hard to drive us apart. All of us need to stand together to resist these forces and to support democratic transitions underway in North Africa and the Middle East," she said.
> 
> Clinton said the Obama administration is trying to help societies leave behind old animosities, and look ahead to new opportunities, by backing reformers who build accountable institutions and combat the corruption that stifles innovation, initiative, and hope.  "Countries that are focused more on fostering growth than fomenting grievance are racing ahead. Building schools instead of burning them.  Investing in their people&#8217;s creativity, not inciting their rage." she said. "Opening their economies and societies to have more connections with the wider world, not shutting off the Internet or attacking embassies."
> 
> U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Libyan city of Benghazi earlier this month following protests against an Internet video mocking the Prophet Muhammad that was produced by an anti-Muslim group in California.  Civilians in Benghazi demonstrated against that violence Friday, showing what Clinton called their forceful rejection of extremists in their midst, reclaiming the honor and dignity of a courageous city.
> 
> "The democracy movements that have sprung up worldwide create exciting possibilities for countries that have been ruled for years by dictators. But they also pose, as we have dramatically seen, great challenges as people grapple with how to turn their democratic ideals into functioning governments and prosperous economies," she said.  Clinton spoke at a development forum organized by her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, in conjunction with this week's meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.
> 
> Source


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## Sunni Man

This is what it's all about people. 

Before the discovery of huge oil deposits the U.S. could care less if all the Ugandan jungle bunnies killed each other by the tens of thousands. 

But now Kony is suddenly terrorist #1 in Africa and we must do the humanitarian thing and help the people.


"Uganda has confirmed the discovery of an additional one billion barrels of oil in the country.

In 2010, it had announced it had discovered commercially viable deposits of 2.5 billion barrels.

However, the commissioner for petroleum exploration told the BBC that deposits were now at least 3.5 billion barrels"

BBC News - Uganda confirms new oil deposits


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## High_Gravity

Sunni Man said:


> This is what it's all about people.
> 
> Before the discovery of huge oil deposits the U.S. could care less if all the Ugandan jungle bunnies killed each other by the tens of thousands.
> 
> But now Kony is suddenly terrorist #1 in Africa and we must do the humanitarian thing and help the people.
> 
> 
> "Uganda has confirmed the discovery of an additional one billion barrels of oil in the country.
> 
> In 2010, it had announced it had discovered commercially viable deposits of 2.5 billion barrels.
> 
> However, the commissioner for petroleum exploration told the BBC that deposits were now at least 3.5 billion barrels"
> 
> BBC News - Uganda confirms new oil deposits



It is awfully convenient, but at the same time some of this is payback for the Ugandans sending troops into Somalia on our behalf.


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## 52ndStreet

Why is it taking so long to catch this mad man Kony?


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## Saigon

I'm going to defend th US on this one - I don't think the search for Koney has anything to do with oil, or with Somalia.

I think it is a genuinely humanitarian action, and one the US probably feels is due given th failure of US to play a part in Rwanda or Liberia recently.


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## Sunni Man

Saigon said:


> I'm going to defend th US on this one - I don't think the search for Koney has anything to do with oil, or with Somalia.
> 
> I think it is a genuinely humanitarian action, and one the US probably feels is due given th failure of US to play a part in Rwanda or Liberia recently.


Please.........

We never do anything without an ulterior motive.

To think other wise is very naive.


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## waltky

Dey gettin' closer to Kony...

*Joseph Konys Bodyguard Killed in CAR*
_ January 21, 2013  The chief bodyguard to warlord Joseph Kony has been killed by the Ugandan army in the Central African Republic, according to the Uganda military._


> The head of security for Ugandan warlord Joseph Kony was killed in a military operation Friday, according to the Ugandan Ministry of Defense.  Konys rebel Lord's Resistance Army waged a bloody insurgency in northern Uganda for 20 years, before moving into neighboring countries in 2006.  Kony is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.
> 
> He and small bands of LRA fighters have been moving between the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic.  Konys chief bodyguard was a man known as Brigadier Binani.  He was also in charge of supplying child soldiers, says defense spokesman Felix Kulayigye.  He had been in charge of gathering food and collecting abducted children for Joseph Kony, said Kulayigye.
> 
> Although no one knows for sure where Kony is hiding, Kulayigye says finding Binani means Ugandan forces are on the right track.  It is a big accomplishment.  Once you get the chief bodyguard of the leader himself it means you are quite near.  [And] two, it means that the intelligence being collected is good, and the collection methods are good as well, added Kulayigye.  In 2011, the hunt for Kony was given a boost when U.S. President Barack Obama sent a group of U.S. special forces to Uganda to help track him down.
> 
> Kulayigye says with Binani dead and LRA fighters defecting, the noose around Kony is tightening.  In addition to these ones who were killed and captured, a number of children and former abductees had been escaping," said Kulayigye. "So sooner or later the man either will commit suicide or will be captured or killed in action.  Last week, President Obama announced a cash reward would be offered for tips leading to Konys capture.  At the moment, Kony is thought to be hiding out somewhere near the border of the Central African Republic and South Sudan.
> 
> Joseph Kony?s Bodyguard Killed in CAR


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## freedombecki

> Last week, President Obama announced a cash reward would be offered for tips leading to Kony&#8217;s capture.


Is Obama taking a pay cut or increasing the tax burden deficit to play Daddy Warbucks?

Oh.


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## Saigon

Becki - 

Just to be clear here - do you think that the US should try and capture or kill known terrorists, or just let them carry on with whatever they were doing?


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