Quiet Front

[Nomad]

The war on terrorism most Americans havent heard of, myself included.



Sankabar, Ethiopia.



Sgt, 1st class Adam Reed rides into Sankabar with a present, a new water pump. This month he returned and the villagers showed the soldier what the irrigation system has done for them. Green fields of corn, bananas and oranges.

A small military task force in E. Africa have been installing water pumps, rebuilding schools, health clinics and training Ntl. armies.

Its a part of a mission to stabilize a region thats been seen as a potential breeding ground for terrorists. The villagers say the Americans are the first and only to offer help. They're overwhelmingly grateful. When our soldiers are in this area they ask for nothing, they dont look for intelligence. If someone offers, the information is passed along.

This is one aspect of the war on terror by the Bush administration few know about, we are building trust and allies in a hazardous region seperated only by a narrow waterway fron the Middle East.

Al Qaida has had success in Kenya, Tanzania and of course Yemen. Our troops comprised of engineers and construction units are on a humanitarian mission with far reaching and long term goals and doing much good in the process. Bravo !!!!

Look what happened to Somalia. Without a stable govt. in place it was taken hostage by thugs. We are taking preemptive measures to gain assurance this doesnt happen throughout Africa.

Until I learned of this Ive been as anti Bush as they come. I have to re-evaluate my blanket opinions now, fine thats always a good thing to check yourself from time to time.

I said the other day that I was an idealist. Perhaps not. I said I thought there was a better way than more war, perhaps there is. This is the finest example of stellar leadership I have seen in some time.

[Nomad]

SnoozeControl wrote: How long has this been in operation? Do we know for a fact it was Bush's idea.



Kudos to whoever came up with this... not so much for the "war on terrorism" but for the humanitarian aspects. It sounds more like something Jimmy Carter would come up with.




Its a military operation, whos specific idea I dont know. The humanitarian aspects are splendid but as a method of operation for preemptive measures instead of mopping up after the fact is brilliant. We are in 11 African countries doing the same thing. Very very smart politics !

[SOJOURNER]

Nomad, this is wonderful to hear. :-6

Where did you find out this information? :-2

[Accountable]

Way cool. Way cool. Where'd you find the story?

[Nomad]

Today, St. Paul Pioneer Press.

[Nomad]

Yesterday now but it was today when I posted this. So when you read this it could be a couple of days ago. I cant really give a definitive timeline anymore because who knows when you'll see this. Its like were in some kind of time warp.

I should summon evil man.....he'll know what to do.

[Accountable]

Here's the author of the story. I think he'd appreciate hearing from us. I'm sending him an email.



LINK

SHASHANK BENGALI



Africa

Shashank Bengali, Knight Ridder's Africa correspondent, is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and covers sub-Saharan Africa. Previously he was roving state correspondent for The Kansas City Star, where he wrote on a variety of subjects including Missouri state government, courts and the environment. From 2003 to 2005 he earned a Master’s degree in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, focusing on international human rights policy. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Shashank holds Bachelor’s degrees in journalism, political science and French from the University of Southern California, and was a 1997 Knight Ridder Minority Journalism Scholar. He reported for Knight Ridder from China in the summer of 2004 and took over the Nairobi bureau in August 2005. E-mail Shashank Bengali at SBengali@krwashington.com