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| Africa: West | |
| Taylor Says He Will Step Down Aug. 11 | |
| 2003-08-03 | |
| EFL - Of course there’s a new date, and now he sez he might not leave the country, yadda yadda..... kill.him.now.please. Liberian President Charles Taylor for the first time set a precise date for stepping down but pointedly declined to say today whether he would leave the country.
riiggghhhtt Forces loyal to Taylor mounted a zealous counterattack today against the rebels who have laid siege to this shattered capital for two weeks. The government forces aimed to take decisive control of two bridges that lead into downtown Monrovia and capture the adjoining seaport before Nigerian peacekeepers arrive on Monday. The government’s surge appeared desperate and ragtag, led by pickups mounted with .50-caliber guns and pushed from behind by commanders holding AK-47s to the heads of young fighters reluctant to advance. "volunteers" Firing wildly, the government forces took lashing fire from the rebels but held the bridges for several hours. At dusk, as the skies released a tropical downpour, Taylor’s forces were back where they had begun the day, sprinting from the downtown side of the bridges to fire their rifles from the hump at the middle, then scampering back for cover. saw a clip of this on Fox — these guys were so scared, they’d run up, take a shot (at mostly the sky), then run back and tell the others "hey! did you see me?" — didn’t hit anything At John F. Kennedy Hospital, where the International Committee of the Red Cross maintains the city’s only trauma ward, doctors reported at least seven dead and 70 wounded by late afternoon. "We are quite worried," said Dominique Liengme, head of the Red Cross delegation here. "I think tomorrow is going to be a very bad day, because both sides want to do as much as possible before [peacekeepers] arrive on Monday." The day highlighted the most treacherous of the elements that have drawn the world’s attention to Liberia, a nation of 3 million that was founded for freed American slaves not for freed slaves - by freed slaves. the distinction is a fine one, and carries no moral imperative to intervene. Nice spin journalism | |
| Posted by:Frank G |
| #3 Didn't happen to mention what year, did he? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-8-3 10:40:13 PM |
| #2 SW - LOL... Wow - what a visual! |
| Posted by: ·com 2003-8-3 6:08:19 PM |
| #1 I play "Battlefield 1942" occasionally (Occasionally? That means not more than three hours a night after you post on Rantburg, right? Ed. -- Hey, get back to Kaus Files where you belong!), and one map requires one to assault or defend a couple of bridges. I see what must be the Taylor forces practicing in these games, since the manner of assault is the same. I generally take a button-down, well entrenched position with an automatic rifle and clear the bridge whenever they run up. It's too bad that the game won't depict them in their proper uniform of bustiers and wigs! |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-8-3 1:55:48 PM |