Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993 TAG: 9301130091
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
AMERICAN MARINE KILLED IN SOMALIA
A Marine patrolling near Mogadishu airport was killed Tuesday in a firefight with Somali gunmen in the first death of a U.S. serviceman in Operation Restore Hope, a Pentagon official said Tuesday.The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no identification was immediately available. He said further details were expected from U.S. military officers in the starvation-wracked nation.
The Marines were on a security patrol near the Mogadishu airport when the shooting occurred, the official said. He said the unit "took some fire; they returned fire and pulled their people back."
When the unit regrouped, a head count was taken and one Marine was found to be missing. When the Marines returned to the scene of the incident, the Marine's body was found, the official said.
There was no word on any other casualties in the firefight.
U.S. servicemen on the ground in the area "had been taking sniper fire off and on for days," the official added.
In the past several days, the Marines have become far more aggressive in terms of dealing with Somali gunmen and their weapons and had been conducting arms sweeps in the city.
Prior to the Marine's death, the U.S. military had reported one of its quietest days since troops arrived.
U.S. military spokesmen reported no gunfights as Marines concentrated on rounding up weapons in Mogadishu.
In the last two days, the Marines reported carrying away 16 truckloads of weapons and ammunition from gun markets and caches, including 265 rifles and assault guns and 55 machine guns.
A spokesman for Marine commander Maj. Gen. Charles Wilhelm quoted the general as saying he hoped he would have a safer Mogadishu by Feb. 1, with more arms off the streets so that relief workers could move around without armed guards.
The U.S. military has 22,500 men and women in Somalia, including those aboard the Navy's ships offshore.
The operation to assist the starving in Somalia has been under way since Dec. 9.
A civilian Army employee was killed Dec. 23 near the city of Bardera when the vehicle he was riding in hit a land mine.
Keywords:
FATALITY