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CNN Live At Daybreak
Last of U.S. Forces Have Pulled Out of Liberia
Aired October 01, 2003 - 06:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It looks like mission accomplished in Liberia. The last of the U.S. forces have pulled out of the war ruined African nation.
Jeff Koinange joins us live by video phone from the capital Monrovia -- so, Jeff, what happens next?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what happens next is today, October 1, a new mission kicks into Liberia. It's called the United Nations Mission in Liberia or UNMIL. Basically, the 3,500 West African peacekeepers who are on the ground will take off their berets and will put on the blue hats, the traditional United Nations blue hats. They will become the new peacekeepers.
Now, as you well know, the United Nations special representative, Jacques Klein, had requested and got 15,000 troops to come and control and patrol the streets of Liberia. He did get that wish and about 12,000 or more will be arriving in the coming days and the coming weeks to add to that buffer force already on the ground. They will not only be in Monrovia, but all over the country, because Liberians basically feel safe here in the capital, but outside the capital it's still pretty lawless, for the most part.
Liberians are looking to the fact that the Americans have now left, they want a new force on the ground, just so that that continuity of security, peace of mind and peace of moving around freely, they could still have that even as the U.S. forces are gone.
One more thing, Carol, there are -- there is still a U.S. presence on the ground here in Monrovia. Remember that elite force of special forces who are -- who normally guard U.S. embassies around the world? Well, they are still on the ground, about 50 of them still on the ground just in case something does happen. There is still some semblance of a U.S. presence on the ground -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jeff Koinange live from Monrovia this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 1, 2003 - 06:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It looks like mission accomplished in Liberia. The last of the U.S. forces have pulled out of the war ruined African nation.
Jeff Koinange joins us live by video phone from the capital Monrovia -- so, Jeff, what happens next?
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, what happens next is today, October 1, a new mission kicks into Liberia. It's called the United Nations Mission in Liberia or UNMIL. Basically, the 3,500 West African peacekeepers who are on the ground will take off their berets and will put on the blue hats, the traditional United Nations blue hats. They will become the new peacekeepers.
Now, as you well know, the United Nations special representative, Jacques Klein, had requested and got 15,000 troops to come and control and patrol the streets of Liberia. He did get that wish and about 12,000 or more will be arriving in the coming days and the coming weeks to add to that buffer force already on the ground. They will not only be in Monrovia, but all over the country, because Liberians basically feel safe here in the capital, but outside the capital it's still pretty lawless, for the most part.
Liberians are looking to the fact that the Americans have now left, they want a new force on the ground, just so that that continuity of security, peace of mind and peace of moving around freely, they could still have that even as the U.S. forces are gone.
One more thing, Carol, there are -- there is still a U.S. presence on the ground here in Monrovia. Remember that elite force of special forces who are -- who normally guard U.S. embassies around the world? Well, they are still on the ground, about 50 of them still on the ground just in case something does happen. There is still some semblance of a U.S. presence on the ground -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Jeff Koinange live from Monrovia this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
