European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday january 14,1993 for . Effort Mogadishu Somalia a the toughest part getting Mogadishu sport ready for . Forces was having no somalian government to Deal with said the . Navy commander of the capital City sport. A we did no to know who was in charge or who owned the port a capt. John Fitzgibbons said. A we did no to know who to talk to so we let the . Decide who to hire. They told us who was blessed the port of Mogadishu is Small. The american Falcon a the civilian transport ship that brought about 45 helicopters supplies Yand equipment from the Ger based task fed be 5-158 a took up nearly three quarters of the length of one of the ports docks a a a lock is about the same size. As of dec. 28, 589 vehicles 127 containers and 35 helicopters from 18 ships representing four nations had been unloaded at the port. Estimates of How Many people work at the port daily Range from 800 to 1,200. By comparison conditions in saudi Arabia during the persian Gulf crisis offered More amenities such As trucking companies in setting up a working port Fitzgibbons said. A there there was no infrastructure no government no people to Deal with or hire you did no to know who to Trust,1 Fitzgibbons said. A it was worse than starting at ground Zero. Anything Here Worth a Nickel was taken. It was All vandalized. The Airport had been stripped. Wiring had been his first order of business Fitzgibbons said was to Sej up an area to House troops. There were no buildings in the port area that weren t filled with garbage trash or guano. A we had to clean the whole port to set up a tent Camp Heads toilets and Hygiene facilities a Fitzgibbons explained. A it took three bulldozers to Clear All the . S4s John Bohuw Mogadishu port As seen from the american Falcon a ship that hauled helicopters and other gear to Somalia. Was buried. The warehouse on the site where marines now live had to be bulldozed because it had guano about a foot High in it. A ,. A we had to use a fire Hose on it Quot too a Fitzgibbons said. A you did no to want to go in there without a Gas mask. It took us a week just to Clear that another top priority at the port was setting up a Kitchen because Fitzgibbons Felt hot food would improve morale of troops who had been living on a steady diet of packaged meals ready to eat. He anticipated feeding about 300 people daily the number of gis he thought would be based at the port most of the trash was hauled off and burned the rest so he ordered enough food for that daily amount. But since More troops began arriving in mid december about 900 . And Allied forces personnel based in Mogadishu have been getting food daily. A that equates to one hot meal a Day a Fitzgibbons said. A we have to share Quot military personnel who can get to the port to eat a meat will get one and Only one each Day he said. On Christmas Day the port fed hot meals to 3,500 people. Some troops clamor for the. Hot. Food but others done to come Back for seconds. A judging from what i ate last night i prefer the Are said staff sgt. Joe Parks a uh-60 Black Hawk Mechanic assigned to the 159th medical co from wies Baden Germany. A i done to know what it saudi Arabia More open about its role in Mission Manama Bahrain a saudi Arabia which has shunned publicizing its support for Western military operations in Iraq is providing bases for . Relief efforts for Somalia officials said tues Day. The saudi based officials who spoke on condition they not be identified disclosed that the red sea port City of Jid Dah and the neighbouring City of taif have turned into vital logistical bases for . Airlift operations. The conservative Muslim kingdom insists on keeping a Low profile for its help to the United states and allies enforcing the no Fly zone in Southern Iraq for example the spokesman for operation Southern watch refers Only to a Headquarters somewhere in the arabian Gulf instead of at jul Riyadh saudi Arabia. Hut the officials speaking in Telephone contacts tuesday said the saudis May feel differently about the humanitarian efforts in Somalia Riyadh was even expected to Issue a statement confirming that it has placed certain facilities at the disposal of the . Air Force for operation restore Hope. Yemen based at the Southern tip of the arabian Peninsula across the Gulf of Aden from Somalia was a logical base for . Operations. Despite a history of anti Western sentiments the yemenis extended a helping hand for a few weeks. But the americans their support staff of about 100 out of Yemen after bombings at two Aden hotels in late december by suspected Muslim fundamentalists. There has been a fundamentalist backlash in saudi Arabia since the massive deployment of Western forces there during the 1991 persian Gulf War against Iraq making the saudis wary of openly hosting foreign military forces. However the officials noted that the saudis were among the first countries to announce it would Send troops to Somalia for deploy me no wit the .-led multinational forces there. It has also been a major donor of Aid to the famine stricken somalis with plan loads of Relief supplies pouring into Mogadishu. A a a the officials said Coon r. Bear commander of the tac Airlift control element at taif reported to Washington that the saudis have provided the . Air Force with a outstanding logistical and operational support for this humanitarian Quot at Liddah we had originally requested an area to Park and refuel six air planes Quot they quoted Bear As reporting. A was the Mission unfolded our requirements grew. Saudi Airfield managers readily provided additional parking for 14 c-5 and Kc-10 aircraft simultaneously. This averted a potential bottleneck which could have seriously hampered our fort Worth Texas up military officials have concluded that a time honoured somalian tradition of chewing the leaves of the Khal Plant to encourage conversation poses no serious threat to . Troops in the african nation. The Elpaso based 807th army Reserve medical brigade asked the botanical research Institute of Texas in fort Worth to find out just what kind of punch the Plant packs. Military Otic its expressed concern that troops deployed to Somalia would be threatened by armed teens under the influence of khat which is considered a controlled substance in the United states. Maj. John Haynes who is also a medical doctor said that based on the institutes findings the military concluded that the Friant is a a fairly benign drug and is probably More associated with caffeine than anything else As a mild stimulant Quot but it can cause mild hallucinations. Institute official Barney Lipscomb said chewing khat creates a feeling of exhilaration and Talkat Veness followed by insomnia and loss of appetite. . Disappointing lawmaker says Weill air prom mn.,. Washington up a member of a congressional delegation that just returned from Somalia said tuesday the United nations has failed to carry its weight in the .-led humanitarian Effort in Somalia. p. Malha d-pa., said he United nations is unprepared to replace the operation with its own peacekeeping Force. Martha who joined a seven member engr rss tonal legation that travelled to Somalia last week said the Mission articulated by president Bush to pro vide Security for food shipments in the a african nation has largely been achieved. It is now time to withdraw most us troops and to replace them with a peacekeeping Force he said. But f added that the . S failure to plan flt this moment will forestall the return it american service members. A i was very disappointed in the . Murtha said. A nobody gave us any ind cation that the . Is doing anything. They should have been in there Coo donating with . Forces to come in a
