Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Liberian rebels kill 5 in attack Date: Tue, 27 Oct 92 13:27:07 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD Liberian rebels kill 5 in attack \BY ASSOCIATED PRESS \DT MONROVIA, Liberia MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) - Rebel forces killed at least five persons yesterday in bombardments of the eastern suburbs of the capital, in an apparent attempt to take the city airport and tighten the noose on Monrovia. The seven-nation force sent by other West African countries to end the war returned fire with mortars. The force has set up artillery at the airport to defend the critical facility. Shelling and submachine-gun fire also crackled from the direction of Monrovia's port, where the 7,000-man West African force has its headquarters. For two days, its troops have been battling rebels around the port. Relief workers said five persons were killed in yesterday's rocket attack on Spriggs Payne airfield. The bombs apparently fell short of the airfield's runway. Casualty figures in the rebels' 11-day assault on Monrovia have been sketchy, but hospitals said at least 344 persons had been wounded and 12 killed, including the five today. Rebel leader Charles Taylor has warned civilians to evacuate to schools, where he says they will be safe. In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corp. on Sunday night, Mr. Taylor said his men would fight until they took Monrovia. He failed in a weeks-long siege in 1990 in which 40,000 civilians starved to death before the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) sent an intervention force, which bombed his fighters out of the eastern suburbs and forced a cease-fire. Mr. Taylor has consistently resisted cease-fire terms aimed at paving the way for national elections. The current fighting broke out two weeks ago after Mr. Taylor claimed he was attacked by the West African force. Task force commander Maj. Gen. Adetunji Olurin of Nigeria told reporters Sunday his men were on the defensive. Observers, including relief agencies, are privately criticizing the West Africans for allowing into Monrovia two other warring factions, the Armed Forces of Liberia and allied Sierra Leone-based rebels. Both factions are largely composed of members of the Krahn tribe, the tribe of former President Samuel Doe, executed in 1990 as the fighting raged. Mr. Taylor's troops are primarily from rival tribes. Much of the killing since 1989 has been based on tribal rather than political animosity. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM