U.S. force in Haiti to reach 1,000 by Sunday
Officials: U.S. troops won't act to prevent violence
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An official welcomes Aristide to Bangui, capital of Central African Republic.
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CNN's Lucia Newman on the arrival of U.S. Marines in Haiti.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The size of the U.S. force in Haiti is expected to double to 1,000 by Sunday, U.S. officials said.
U.S. officials also said U.S. Marines in Haiti will not attempt to disarm rebels, or control looting or violence between Haitians.
That may change when a multinational peacekeeping force takes over in a few months, the officials said.
U.S. troops are securing key buildings in the capital, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said Monday.
"Their mission is to contribute to a more secure and stable environment during this initial phase, in order to help support the constitutional political process, to protect U.S. citizens, to facilitate the repatriation of any Haitians interdicted at sea, to help stand up the interim force and create conditions for the arrival of a U.N. multinational force," he said.
The move comes the day after Haitian rebel leader Guy Philippe declared himself the country's police chief and threatened to arrest Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, who served under Jean-Bertrand Arisitide, the Haitian president who resigned and left the country Sunday morning. (Full story)
CNN's Lucia Newman, Ingrid Arnesen, Elise Labott, and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.
