Airmen Complete Transfer of Burundian Troops

Airmen completed the transfer of a Burundian light infantry battalion to the Central African Republic in support of an African Union-led peacekeeping mission there, according to Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren. A small team of airmen and two C-17s began these activities on Dec. 12, said Warren on Dec. 30. Sixteen C-17 flights from Burundi brought 857 Burundian troops, along with 73 pallets of equipment and 18 military vehicles, to the CAR, said Warren. Fewer than 10 US personnel now remain on the ground serving as liaisons, he said. France last month requested the US airlift support for the AU mission, which is meant to prevent the spread of sectarian violence in the CAR. (AFPS report by Claudette Roulo)