AFP - Comoros: Foreign troops land on the island of Mohéli (Leaflets say U.S. Army response to 9/11)

AFP via Babelfish ^ | Wednesday December 19, 2001 - 4h43 GMT

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The Comoros: foreign troops unload on the island of Mohéli

MORONI, 19 déc (AFP) - foreign troops unloaded Wednesday morning on the island comorienne of Mohéli, and took control of the army, the gendarmerie and the police force, according to testimonys' on the spot, of which that of a former minister, contacted on the telephone.

The attackers launched leaflets affirming that they were "the army of the United States" and that their intervention was related to the fight against terrorism, according to inhabitants' of the capital, Fomboni, of which the former minister Mohamed Hassanari.

Military formation, of almost a hundred men, among whom "of the white, of which some masked", unloaded towards 5h30 local (2h30 GMT), according to these testimonys. It took the control of the army, the gendarmerie, the police force and the post office, according to these sources, which do not specify if the unloading gave place to engagements, and if there were victims.

The leaflets which the soldiers distributed explain in substance why this quota is "the army of the United States", and that its intervention is a response to the "attacks from September 11" in New York and Washington.

"Your president collaborates with the terrorists, we are there to protect you", still indicate the leaflets, which invite the population to return the weapons it would have.

[Mr.Clark]

Don't foreign troops take over the Comoros every few months or so? That French mercenary was once in charge if I remember, Detard or something like that. Last I heard the Foreign Legion had troops based there.

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Locator map - Comoros Islands - between Mozambique and Madagascar off the east coast of the African continent.

[OrioleFan]

From CIA Factbook

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Don't foreign troops take over the Comoros every few months or so?

Yes, but it would be unusual for "the army of the United States" to do so.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Hmmm... interesting.... If it's real... It's prbably one of two things: A.) A group of mercs launching a Coup attempt (a group of them tried that in the Seychelles Islands a long time ago, but failed) or B.) A group of Rebels/Terrorists...

But I could be wrong... ;0)

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AFP has changed the original link - http://www.afp.com/ext/francais/compuserve/der/011219045927.e94tbkx9.html

[Travis McGee]

Interesting.

The Comoros Islands are located between the north tip of Madagascar and northern Mozambique.

They are comprised of 4 major islands with a total land area of 719 square miles.

The population is 300,000 and the main languages are Arabic, French and Swahili.

The major religion is Islam.

[Have Ruck - Will Travel]

BUMP

[John Jamieson]

Hum, maybe BL (or Omar) has a villa there?

[Centurion2000]

Hmmm .... if there are any airfields on the island and we took it over .... wonder if the fighters and bombers would have the range to strike Mugabe and friends from there.

[Arkinsaw]

I could be wrong, but I think mercenaries would be insane to attempt a coup saying they were United States armed forces, especially these days.

The fact that they are 98% Sunni Moslem, speak Arabic, and are unstable and poor make me wonder if maybe the "Army of the United States" couldn't be on to something down there. Will be interesting to get more info.

[mathurine]

Or c. The Knights of Malta making a late fourth quarter comeback with a deep Hail Mary pass.(Well, we can always hope for happy endings, at least).

[Tex-Con-Man]

I've been searching like everybody else, but can't figure out what we want with this little island.

Anybody got any ideas?

[LarryLied]

Germany sent ships with 1,800 sailors to patrol the East African coast several weeks ago. Further north off Somalia.

[Chad Fairbanks]

LOL!

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New York Times - September 18, 2001 -

NEW YORK - Federal authorities charged on Thursday that the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya last month was orchestrated by an Islamic extremist from the island nation of Comoros who reported directly to Osama bin Laden , the Saudi exile who is the focus of the worldwide inquiry.

[snip]

Broadening the case against bin Laden 's organization, the government offered a $2 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Haroun Fazil, who has been eluding authorities since a warrant was issued for his arrest late last month.

[snip]

Schiliro would not say where the authorities believe Fazil has fled, or how he may have left the Comoros islands, which are in the Indian Ocean southeast of Tanzania and Kenya. Earlier this month, the FBI and the Comoros police raided two homes in the Comoros capital city of Moroni, looking for Fazil, and also questioned his wife.

The authorities described Fazil as an explosives expert in his mid-20s who speaks fluent French, Swahili, Arabic and English, and is adept with computers.

Although the federal complaint did not describe precisely Fazil's rank in bin Laden 's organization, it suggested that his role in the Nairobi attack was more significant than any of the three other defendants who have been arrested and are being held in Manhattan.

The federal complaint said that Fazil's duties in the terrorist organization included the preparation of various reports for bin Laden and his top lieutenants. In the Kenyan bombing, Fazil was accused of renting the room in the Hilltop Hotel in Nairobi where investigators believe that the bomb was constructed, and of hiring two people to clean the room after the attack.

On the day of the attack, the government said, Fazil drove a white pickup that led another vehicle, which was carrying the bomb, to the embassy site in Nairobi.

Link to full article

[Chad Fairbanks]

I thought that Germany does not depoy troops outside of Germany ???? I think it's even in their constitution... I could be wrong, but I thought that was the case...

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CORRECTION - The original publication date of that New York Times article is Published on Sept. 18, 1998, and it was reprinted in the Houston Chronicle on September 20, 2001.

[section9]

Bob Denard landed in the Comoros Islands in the early eighties to overthrow an absolute thug that the populace simply could not stand. Denard was a merc of longstanding, having commanded the Six Commando during the Katanga War of 1964 (Five Commando was led by "Mad Mike" Hoare and consisted, for the most part, of ex-Parachute Regiment types and a few holdovers from the Wehrmacht and the SS). Having nothing better to do with his time, Denard looked around for something to do and found the Comoros and an absolutely marvelous thug.

The population actually welcomed him and his ex-Legion mercs who stayed and ran the place for several years until the UN and the OAU finally got annoyed.

Anyhoo, I wouldn't be surprised if we're using the Comoros as a recon base to prevent Binnie or any Al Qaeda from getting into East Africa.

Be Seeing You,

Chris