U.S. Marines kill embassy attackers

Liberian fighting spills over into compound

April 30, 1996
Web posted at: 11:25 p.m. EDT (0325 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- U.S. Marines at an American Embassy compound in Liberia killed at least two Liberian factional fighters and wounded another in a series of gunfire exchanges Tuesday, the Defense Department said.

Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said members of one of the warring factions fired on the compound near the U.S. ambassador's residence in Monrovia. Marine guards then fired back.

There were conflicting reports on the number of Liberians killed by U.S. Marines, with some reports putting the casualty figure as high as five. The State Department said three were killed and the Pentagon reported two dead.

"We don't know what (the attackers) were aiming at," Bacon said. "Fire came in and it was returned."

Bacon said intense fighting has occurred in the region over the past several days between various factions, but Tuesday's incident was the first exchange of fire involving U.S. Marines.

"The first lesson is that the factions should stop fighting," Bacon said. "The second is that the Marines take their security obligations seriously."

Liberians fired first

The conflict began Tuesday afternoon, when forces reportedly loyal to factional leader Charles Taylor clashed with Nigerian peacekeepers assigned to the West African peacekeeping contingent there. The heated exchange of gunfire was close enough to the U.S. embassy to startle embassy personnel. Marines assigned to protect the embassy were placed on a heightened state of alert.

However, no shots were fired by U.S. forces until an hour later, when eight Liberian gunmen with AK-47 automatic rifles fired on a U.S. Marine position near the southeast corner of the U.S. embassy, military sources said.

The Marines returned fire with M-16 automatic weapons and M-60 machine guns. One Marine was wounded "very slightly" when a bullet grazed him, Marine Corps sources said. He did not require medical attention.

Official accounts say the second attack took place about an hour after the first. An unknown number of Liberian gunmen fired on U.S. positions, again by the southeast corner of the embassy compound. The men firing had taken up positions in and around buildings and were not easily seen by the Marines.

The Marines stationed at the embassy are under order to return fire only if they can see their attackers. In the second attack, the Marines reportedly could not clearly see who was firing at them and did not return fire. No injuries were reported in the incident.

After another hour, sources said, six armed Liberian fighters attacked the southeast corner of the embassy compound, firing automatic weapons. A Marine Corps sniper team returned fire and reportedly killed two of the attackers, while a Marine automatic weapon injured and may have killed another. The reports were difficult to confirm because, as one Marine Corps official said, "they aren't exactly going out there to check pulses."

'An attempt to build up tension'

In an interview with CNN, Liberian Information Minister Victoria Reffell denied that the gunmen involved in the embassy shootout were part of troops loyal to warlord Charles Taylor. He claimed that neither Johnson's troops nor the government's were in the Mamba Point area, the diplomatic sector of the city. "This is a deliberate attempt to build up tension," Reffell said.

Marines guarding the compound are part of a reinforced rifle company. The company's personnel are among 276 Marines on the grounds, protecting an embassy staff of about 18. They were dispatched from a 2,939-person Marine Expeditionary Unit afloat offshore, Bacon said.

U.S. military sources said calm had returned to the area, but that the situation remained tense. Factional fighting continued in the city.

Assistant Secretary of State George Moose was in Monrovia trying to broker a cease-fire among the warring factions. "The way to end these problems is to reach a peace agreement between the factions in Monrovia," Bacon said.

Related stories:

• Liberia torn by long civil war - April 30, 1996
• Mediators due in Liberia after latest fighting - April 29, 1996
• Peacemakers hope truce will take hold in Liberia - April 22, 1996
• Cease-fire in effect in Monrovia - April 20, 1996
• Civilians trapped in new Liberian assault - April 16, 1996
• Americans evacuated from war-torn Liberia - April 9, 1996

Related sites:

• Liberia home page
• Liberia Information

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