European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 26, 1993 Somalia the stars and strip fib or no u i Inch no a f a Paga 11 a Marine getting in a Little rest and relaxation leaps sunday into the Indian Ocean off a Coral reef near the Airport at Mogadishu Somalia. In december the marines landed on the nearby Beach As they began operation restore Hope to old the starving population of  time wrong Village for marines australians by Reid g. Miller the associated press Lia i do a Somalia a it began with the Type of precise planning that goes into the taking of a military objective but this time the goal of american marines and australian soldiers was humanitarian. The Mission was very nearly botched. The objective delivery of 44,000 pounds of wheat to the starving people of an isolated Central Village with marines flying in the food by helicopter and the aussies providing Security. The task Force three chr53 helicopters and their Crews from heavy Marine helicopter so 363 of Camp Pendleton Calif and 35 men of the australian  s 34th Security group. The plan Fly the aussie troops to the Village of Malcol 15 Miles North of Bai doa to secure a drop zone then deliver 400 110-Pound bags of wheat on pallets Slung beneath the helicopters. A this is our bread and butter the thing we do Best a said it col . Spurlock 41, of Middleburg by commander of the Squadron known As the a Lucky red  a we should be in and out real fast a Spurlock said. They weren t. Malcol is but one of hundreds of villages that have yet to be touched by a massive International military and civilian Effort to feed and car for an estimated 2 million starving somalis. More than 350,000 people already have died of hunger and disease in the past year in a catastrophe born of clan warfare and drought and aggravated by the widespread looting of food Aid. The Mission began with a briefing in an open sided tent at the Dusty windswept former somalian air Force base at Bai doa. The former base once served As the Home of a Marine battalion that handed Over control to an australian Force last wednesday. Attending were Spurlock and his ranking subordinates a . Air Force combat air controller and it. Todd Everett 25, of Canberra who would Lead the australian Security detail with them was Paul Enright 37, of Dublin a local project officer for the Irish Aid Agency concern. The organization had asked the americans and australians for help in getting inc food to Malcol. The Mission was explained with inc help of flip charts. Everett outlined How his men would deploy at the drop zone just outside Malcol. Questions were asked coordinates and times set. A we Don t expect any trouble but you never know a Spurlock said the three Quot Lucky red lion helicopters took off on time saturday at 10 a.m., flying a Zigzag path toward Malebel be a sets cause As Spurlock explained a we Don t want folks on the ground to guess where we re going a As they approached their target Spurlock told his flight Crew and the two accompanying choppers a wok group looks like nothing s Here but stay by your weapons i m going in and make one Circle around the zone. With Spurlock s aircraft in the Lead the three helicopters came in Low Over the drop zone a fallow farm Field of red dirt. Then they swept around in a tight arc before Landing in huge Clouds of dust the aussies sprang from one of the choppers and began fanning out in a wide Circle. The helicopters flew Back to a Aida picked up the first of three loads of wheat that each would deliver and returned to drop them. Meanwhile Enright the concern representative spotted a few villagers approaching inc Edge of the Field and walked Over in talk to them with an interpreter a loud discussion ensued with much gesticulating. The troops had landed at the wrong Village this in t Malebel it s Mintman a said Enright a and we delivered a Load of food Here by truck just two Days ago Malebel is North of Here and we think the Road is mined the rest of the Way that s Why we wanted the drop a two somalian runners were sent to notify the people of Malcol that their food was at Mintman a pm Alec s 10 Kilometres about 6 Miles from Here or 7, or 4,&Quot said Enright As he the marines and an safes settled Down to wait a it May have a truck or  almost an hour later a Cloud of rolling red dust was seen approaching through the scrub and Thorn Trees surrounding the Field a it s a truck a cried Enright a nah the Luck of the Irish Quot the truck was crammed with men from Malebel including their chief Haji Mustaf Aden 57. As the food was loaded onto inc truck the Village Leader said what the food s delivery meant to his Village Quot before this we have been eating the skins of the dead animals and the weeds we have 67 1 people in the Village including the children. Between 1,400 a 1,500 have died. Still they Are dying it is terrible Quot warlord wants . Military to disarm his rivals by George Ester a special correspondent Mogadishu Somalia a one of Somalia s most powerful warlords said monday that he has asked the . Military to disarm his opponents who he said Are violating a truce and attacking his forces in several regions. Gen. Mohamed Farah aided told a news conference that he had informed . Special envoy Robert u. Oakley of the situation. He said the .-led International task Force a has the duty to intervene and disarm his opponents since he has agreed to have his fighters Lay Down their . Aided appeared to be trying to pull the United states beyond its original commitment a a humanitarian operation to secure Somalia to allow Relief workers to travel around inc country to feed the starving and tend to the ill. Famine civil War and lawlessness claimed the lives of 350,000 somalis last year. Until the International forces of operation restore Hope arrived . 9, armed bandits were looting food Aid with abandon. Neither Oakley nor his spokesmen could be reached for comment. But in an interview sunday . Marine col. Chip Cresson Deputy director of operations for the task Force was asked if . Forces would enforce the ceasefire through military intervention or by other Means. Quot we prefer to enforce it through political Means by Ause it s obviously less costly Quot lie said. A but the cease ire is very important to us and i think we be taken Alcinus in the past to demonstrate that we re witling and Able to Lake military action to enforce the Ccase tire if we can isolate whose breaking  aided said the attacks entered about 25 Miles South of the Southern port of Kismay had a inflicted considerable losses in life and  lie said they were led by forces Loyal to Gen. To preliminary talks to set do Agenda for the March 15 meeting broke off Friday because of the alleged ceasefire violations. They Are to resume next monday and aided said leu party will participate aided said More than 10,000 somalis demonstrated in Kismay on saturday carrying anti Morgan signs. Lie said there was Good reason to believe the Morgan forces were behind recent violence in the City although . Spokesmen have said they Are not certain who is responsible a belgian Soldier was wounded in a grenade attack hammed Siad Baric who was routed from Power two s ago and Siad liar re a son in Law Mohamed said i Lirosi also known As Gen. Morgan aided said disarmament was occurring in the areas controlled by his forces but this could  independently verified. He said his forces want disarmament extended immediately to All areas controlled by the warring factions despite the attacks Ait id said his somali National movement will participate with other warring factions in a National conference March 15 in Addis Ababa Ethiopia aimed at uniting the country. Fourteen factions signed i lie Ccase tire and disarmament agreement on Jan. 15 in Addis Ababa. In Kismay on sunday evening inc sixth trooper Hurt in the volatile Southern port Over inc weekend a coalition military spokeswoman said _. Ira too and Eye injuries when a grenade was thrown at his Lehi the unidentified belgian paratrooper suffered and Eye injuries when a grenade was thrown at his vehicle . Marine chief warrant officer Virginia Bueno told reporters in Mogadishu she said he was evacuated fur treatment to Nairobi the capital of neighbouring belgian soldiers were wounded other belgian soldiers were wounded m another grenade attack saturday Kenya live other none seriously three Somas were killed and at least five were wounded in other dashes with belgian troops in Khz Rayu earlier sunday. Until american and belgian forces arrived in tale december Kismay had been the stronghold of Foj. Mar Jess another warlord Allied with at did