Comoros gets Ukrainian choppers for likely assault
16 Feb 2008 14:56:18 GMT Source: Reuters
By Ahmed Ali Amir MORONI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Comoros has received two Ukrainian helicopters to back up its planned military action against the rebel island of Anjouan, a government spokesman said on Saturday. Comoros' federal government believes military action is the only way to resolve a bitter stand-off with Anjouan's self-declared leader Mohamed Bacar, who held a poll eight months ago that was designed, critics say, to keep himself in power. An African Union (AU) mission, which was expected to visit the Indian Ocean archipelago this week, has yet to materialise, adding to the tension in the islands that have endured 19 coups and coup attempts since independence from France in 1975. "They (the helicopters) arrived ... early this morning. Originally they are from Ukraine," Abdourahim Said Bacar, a government spokesman, told Reuters. "Since there hasn't been any peaceful alternative, they will back up the military operation," he said, prevented by a bad telephone line from giving further details. Hundreds of government troops have assembled on Moheli island, the closest one to Anjouan, in preparation for a likely assault on Anjouan, local media and residents say. AU sanctions against Anjouan and other diplomatic efforts to resolve the standoff have failed. On Friday, Comoros' top military officer was quoted as saying he had no clear idea of Anjouan's firepower and acknowledged the operation's dangers. "It is a high-risk operation," Lieutenant Colonel Salimou Mohamed Amiri was quoted as saying in the state-owned Al Watwan newspaper. He was quoted as saying the helicopters would be used to cover ground operations, transport soldiers and evacuate the wounded if there was an assault. Anjouan is a small, wooded, hilly island, whose forces appeared well-trained and had automatic weapons when Reuters visited the island last July. Lying off Africa's east coast, the Comoros islands retain some autonomy through local leaderships under the terms of a 2001 peace deal, but also share a rotating national president. First settled by Arab seafarers 1,000 years ago, the islands that produce vanilla, cloves and ylang-ylang later became a pirate haven. (Additional reporting by Ed Harris; Writing by Ed Harris; Editing by Katie Nguyen and Tim Pearce)
People lay down flowers during an Afghan war memorial service in Kiev, February 15, 2008. Ukraine on Friday, along with other former Soviet states, marked the 19th anniversary of the Soviet ...
