Several French soldiers killed!

[billybob2002 0]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm....oast_31

Quote[/b] ]8 French Soldiers Killed in Ivory Coast

49 minutes ago   Top Stories - AP

By PAULINE BAX, Associated Press Writer

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - Warplanes bombed French peacekeepers Saturday, killing eight French soldiers and wounding 23, and French forces responded by shooting down government aircraft, French and U.N. officials said, in a clash that threatened to escalate Ivory Coast's renewed civil war.

The attack threatened to drag French and U.N. peacekeepers into the new fighting, which began Thursday when hard-line commanders in Ivory Coast's military broke a more than year-old ceasefire and launched bombing strikes on rebel positions in the north.

At 1:30 p.m., the warplanes struck French positions at Brobo, near the northern rebel-held town of Bouake, U.N. military spokesman Philippe Moreux said. "As a response, the French shot down two Sukhoi 25s and one MI-24 helicopter," Moreux said.

In Paris, a Defense Ministry spokesman said eight French soldiers were killed and 23 others wounded in the bombing raid and that two Sukhoi's were shot down in response.

"Our forces responded in a situation of legitimate defense," said spokesman Jean-Francois Bureau. "Now the priority is the immediate end of combat."

France and the United Nations (news - web sites) have about 10,000 peacekeepers in Ivory Coast, a former French colony, and many are deployed in the buffer zone between the government-held south and rebel-held north. Ivory Coast military commanders have vowed to retake the north, controlled by rebels since the September 2002 start of the war in the world's top cocoa producer.

Shortly after news emerged of Saturday's strike, the Ivory Coast's military chief of operations said French forces attacked the airport at the capital Yamoussoukro, 75 miles south of Brobo, destroying aircraft there.

It was not immediately clear if this was a separate attack or if Ivory Coast Col. Philippe Mangou was giving a different account of how the same aircraft were destroyed. The claim could not be immediately confirmed.

"The planes were destroyed by shots from the French military at Yamoussoukro airport," Mangou told The Associated Press. "The planes were on the ground." He said he didn't know how many aircraft were destroyed, or what kind, and refused to give any further details.

At the Yamoussoukro airport, edgy-looking soldiers turned away a members of an Associated Press crew seeking access, telling them it was not safe.

Scores of people streamed from the airport to town.

Fearing a spread of the fighting, the France-based relief group Medecins Sans Frontieres, or Doctors Without Border, said Saturday it was evacuating some staff from its hospital in the western town of Danane, about 20 miles from Ivory Coast's border with Liberia (news - web sites). The west saw some of the most brutal attacks of the war.

"We are very worried," the aid group's spokeswoman Vanessa van Schoor said. "We really hope that the hospital will not be attacked. We still have patients inside. The population of Danane has suffered a great deal already" in the war.

Van Schoor said the hospital would remain functioning. She declined to say how many staffers were being brought out or where they were being taken.

Ivory Coast's war killed thousands and uprooted more than 1 million, threatening efforts by neighboring countries — Sierra Leone and Liberia — to recover from their own vicious civil wars of the 1990s.

Last year's peace deals, brokered under international pressure, ended major fighting but an agreed-upon power-sharing government has never taken hold.

The U.N. Security Council — which has poured billions of dollars and thousands of peace troops into West and Central Africa to support peace accords — expressed alarm at the renewed fighting, as have France, the United States and others.

Nigerian President Olosegun Obasanjo, current president of the African Union, opened talks with regional leaders Saturday at his farm on the outskirts of Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, to look for a way out of the crisis.

Senior African Union officials were among those attending. Remi Oyo, Obasanjo's spokeswoman, declined to say if Ivory Coast government or rebel representatives would take part.

At least they shot down two SU-25 and a MI-24.

@ French for during a noble job of Peacekeeping.

[-33ker 0]

Why were they attacked by the governement troops?

Hardline commanders, heh?

[ran 0]

Ah ... Ivory Coast .... such a shitty hell-hole ....

[DracoPaladore 0]

@ French for during a noble job of Peacekeeping.

They were attacked?

Isn't the general idea that when your shot, let alone blown up, you respond with guns?

[gandalf the white 0]

bah, doesn't it ever stop?

well, si feel sorry for their relatives, and buddy's of the soldiers

[bn880 5]

It is not just one aircraft that was shot down, at least two AFAIK.

err wait I read more....

Anyway, it's been a while since we have seen _enemy_ warplanes attacking peace keepers. I wonder if they used shoulder launched weapons to shoot down the aircraft, and if so, how many may have missed.

[ran 0]

The planes have been neutralised on the ground after they landed by the SF group which was stationned in the Yamoussoukro airport.

[billybob2002 0]

Quote[/b] ]They were attacked?

Isn't the general idea that when your shot, let alone blown up, you respond with guns?

*insert bad words*

[ran 0]

Well ... now I guess UNOCI won't end as early as next april as was planned ...

I sincerely hope my government will push things a bit at the security council so we can give them a ride for their money ... bastards ...

[quicksand 0]

It was a mistake according to Reuters quoting government officials,it was an air raid designed at striking the rebels.It also comes to question why would the Ivory government take on the French peacekeepers when their fight is against the rebels.

[bn880 5]

The planes have been neutralised on the ground after they landed by the SF group which was stationned in the Yamoussoukro airport.

Ahh I see, I was wondering about the ability of ground troops to shoot them down so effectively while in combat.

[denoir 0]

I wonder how smart it is to let the former colonial powers peace-keep their former colonies. I can understand the practical rationale, but at the same time it can make them an easy and popular target.

[desantnik 0]

sad yes....

But I want to see French troops in action...anybody have pictures of the war in that place? (not gory ones of course) just want to get a feel for what it looks like and what they're up against.

[ran 0]

The planes have been neutralised on the ground after they landed by the SF group which was stationned in the Yamoussoukro airport.

Ahh I see, I was wondering about the ability of ground troops to shoot them down so effectively while in combat.

It wouldn't be too hard with a few Mistral AA sites to shoot down the old soviet pieces of junk Ukrainian mercenaries fly.

French soldiers have opened fire onto Ivorian soldiers at the Abidjan airport and a French school has been burnt down ... the UN security counsil will meet.

[ran 0]

I wonder how smart it is to let the former colonial powers peace-keep their former colonies. I can understand the practical rationale, but at the same time it can make them an easy and popular target.

You're right, Gbagbo is a populist and his power is based on his concept of "Ivoirité" and a hatred of the French.

[bn880 5]

Man, what a hell hole for the French this is turning out to be. Anyway, at least it is a proper cause politically, AFAIk.

[ran 0]

I guess my "holiday" in mainland France is coming to an end ...

[ran 0]

Elysée communiqué :

Quote[/b] ]"A la suite de l'opération des forces armées ivoiriennes qui a entraîné la mort de huit soldats français et d'un citoyen américain et blessé 23 de nos soldats, le président de la République a demandé que soit immédiatement entreprise la destruction des moyens aériens militaires ivoiriens utilisés ces derniers jours en violation du cessez-le-feu.

Cette action des forces françaises s'inscrit dans le cadre du mandat confié par le Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies aux forces de l'Onuci et de Licorne pour assurer le respect du cessez-le-feu et la sécurité des personnes en Côte d'Ivoire.

Dans le męme temps, les dispositions sont prises pour assurer la sécurité de nos compatriotes. A cet effet, deux compagnies supplémentaires sont envoyées en renfort.

Le président de la République rend hommage au nom de tous les Français aux victimes de cette agression. Il présente Å• leurs familles et Å• leurs proches ses condoléances trÄs sincÄres et leur exprime sa profonde solidarité".

"Following the Ivorian armed forces operation which led to the death of 8 French soldiers, caused the death of an American citizen and wounded 23 of our soldiers, the President has requested the immediate destruction of all the military aerial meens used these last days in violation of the cease-fire.

This action of the French armed Forces is part of the mandate given by the United Nations security council to the UNOCI forces and is a part of Licorne to ensure the respect of the cease fire and the safety of the people in Ivory Coast.

In the meanwhile, dispositions are taken to ensure the safety of our countrymen. To this effect, two more compagnies will be sent as reinforcement.

The President gives tribute in the name of the French people to all the victims of this aggression. He presents his sincere condoleances to their families and relatives to whom he shows his deep solidarity."

Sorry for the rough translation

[Pathy 0]

La guerre nourrit la guerre

[denoir 0]

I wonder how smart it is to let the former colonial powers peace-keep their former colonies. I can understand the practical rationale, but at the same time it can make them an easy and popular target.

You're right, Gbagbo is a populist and his power is based on his concept of "Ivoirité" and a hatred of the French.

Not entirely unexpected. It would probably would be better with African peace keepers. Too bad they're not up to the task.

Ah, Africa.. such a permanent mess. It's one of the few remaining places on earth where the three natural population dynamics rules dominate - war, hunger and disease.

[Baphomet 0]

Quote[/b] ]the French shot down two Sukhoi 25s and one MI-24 helicopter

I've yet to see a good video of a helicopter being shot down.

Let alone a behemoth like an MI-24.

That's just an asshole thing to do. Killing peacekeepers.

[Bordoy 0]

I wonder how smart it is to let the former colonial powers peace-keep their former colonies. I can understand the practical rationale, but at the same time it can make them an easy and popular target.

You're right, Gbagbo is a populist and his power is based on his concept of "Ivoirité" and a hatred of the French.

Not entirely unexpected. It would probably would be better with African peace keepers. Too bad they're not up to the task.

Ah, Africa.. such a permanent mess. It's one of the few remaining places on earth where the three natural population dynamics rules dominate - war, hunger and disease.

You can possibley get rid of one but not the other 2.

[Bordoy 0]

Quote[/b] ]the French shot down two Sukhoi 25s and one MI-24 helicopter

I've yet to see a good video of a helicopter being shot down.

Let alone a behemoth like an MI-24.

That's just an asshole thing to do. Killing peacekeepers.

WARNING: The following film show a Russian MI-24 Hind being shot down by a Chechyan Muslim Guerilla.

I have not yet viewed this film and I won't because I'm thinking about the crew and their families.

edit: link not working. so go here http://svd.s20.xrea.com/index-e.html click on gallery. Then its about half way down. The picture shows a guy with a SAM launcher. the description says "Muslim guerilla launched SAM toward Russian Mi-24 HIND. The missile hit the top of HIND and HIND was going down."

[bn880 5]

I disagree, you can get rid of hunger, and many dieseases, if everyone was to cooperate, and scientific methods were followed. Then again, we are talking about everyone being reasonable, which is obviously far from possible.

[Baphomet 0]

Quote[/b] ]WARNING: The following film show a Russian MI-24 Hind being shot down by a Chechyan Muslim Guerilla.

I have not yet viewed this film and I won't because I'm thinking about the crew and their families.

edit: link not working. so go here http://svd.s20.xrea.com/index-e.html click on gallery. Then its about half way down. The picture shows a guy with a SAM launcher. the description says "Muslim guerilla launched SAM toward Russian Mi-24 HIND. The missile hit the top of HIND and HIND was going down."

Edited by Bordoy on Nov. 06 2004,21:23

Sir. Thank you for the link but I certainly hope for your sake there are no gory or inappropriate links or images on that site. Otherwise I'd advise you to remove it.

EDIT

Nevermind. I don't see anything inappropriate there. Great resource of videos. Thanks again for the url.