Topic: 2 England-Based Units Aid In Chad Evacuation

European Stars and Stripes
February 8, 2008 By Bryan Mitchell, Stars and Stripes
RAF MILDENHALL, England — Two England-based units participated earlier this week in the evacuation of several dozen civilians from a strife-riddled central African nation familiar to the military.
A pair of Air Force special operations C-130s from the 352nd Special Operations Group airlifted roughly two dozen Americans as well as about 35 foreign nationals from the Chadian capital of N’Djamena on Monday, according to Maj. Pamela Cook, U.S. European Command spokeswoman.
The evacuees, which included residents of Egypt, Lebanon, Madagascar, France, Cameroon and Germany, were flown to Yaoundé, Cameroon.
A 100th Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker provided in-air refueling to the special operations aircraft that traveled from eastern England to Chad, Cook said.
A contingent of airmen remains in the region.
“They are ready to provide assistance as the ambassador (Louis Nigro Jr.) requires,” Cook said.
Both the 352nd and the 100th declined to comment on the mission.
The rescue mission followed a State Department alert on Saturday for Americans in Chad to depart the country after rebels attacked the capital, according to a statement posted on the embassy’s Web site.
Airmen from the 352nd SOG are familiar with the African region as they provide air support for the so-called Trans Sahara Counter-Terrorism Initiative. Launched in 2005, the Trans Sahara mission is led by the State Department and involves nine northwest African nations, including Chad.
In 2004, CNN.com reported that U.S. Special Forces provided intelligence and communications support to the Chadian military fighting an Algeria-based rebel group with alleged links to al-Qaida.