President Bush Friday ordered "a substantial American force" of Marines and Army soldiers to Somalia to protect humanitarian relief convoys intended to feed hundreds of thousands of starving people.
He said "Operation Restore Hope" was officially under way, although Pentagon officials said the first U.S. troops were expected to land in the east African nation no earlier than Monday."The people of Somalia, especially the children, need our help. We must help them live. We must give them hope. America must act," Bush said.
Bush said he expected forces from "about a dozen" other countries to contribute to the operation, which was authorized on Thursday by the U.N. Security Council.
In an address from the Oval Office, Bush said the troops would "create a secure environment" in Somalia, then withdraw and hand over responsibility to a smaller U.N. peacekeeping force.
"We will not stay one day longer than is necessary," Bush said.
The Pentagon readied about 28,000 troops for the mission and diverted a three-ship battle group headed by the aircraft carrier USS Ranger to Somalia from the Persian Gulf. The carrier was expected to be off Somalia's coast on Monday, a Navy official said.
A Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said earlier today that a vanguard force of about 1,800 Marines probably would not land in the capital Mogadishu before the beginning - and possibly not until the middle - of next week.
The Pentagon official said the force intends to move as quickly as it can but needs a few days of preparation before landing in Somalia.
The Ranger, with its complement of 60 combat warplanes, is accompanied by the Aegis cruiser USS Valley Forge and the destroyer USS Kinkaid. The warplanes will be used "to dissuade anybody from opposing us," the Navy source said.
"It is now clear that military support is necessary to ensure the safe delivery of the food Somalis need to survive," Bush said in his brief address.
Bush did not say exactly how long he expected the U.S. force to stay, and he did not say how many troops would be sent.
The initial force of Marines must be in place in Somalia before designated Marine and Army troops based in the United States would start heading to Somalia, the Pentagon official said.
Asked about the time gap between Bush's expected order today and the initial landing of Marines, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams said, "What the military wants to do is move in a very orderly way."
After meeting with Bush at the White House, congressional leaders said they supported the deployment, even though they saw the possibility of some American troop casualties.
"It's not risk-free," Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole told reporters.
House Speaker Thomas Foley said Bush and his military advisers "do not expect major confrontations with armed forces. They view this as relatively low risk."
Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., said that the president "expressed reluctance to do it prior to another administration coming in but said this is a problem that can't wait."
He said that Gen. Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke in terms of a two-to-three months mission. "Frankly, I think they are being optimistic," Simon said.