Liberia: U.S. Troops Not Here to Unseat Gov't

United States Ambassador, Deborah R. Malac, has clarified that the United States Army is in Liberia to help the Government of Liberia fight the deadly Ebola virus and not to unseat the present government.

Addressing a news conference held at the United States Embassy in Monrovia yesterday, Ambassador Malac disclosed that the U.S. Army has come with additional capacity to join with other international partners to fight the disease.

Also speaking, Major General Darryl Williams, Commanding General/Joint Forces Command, United Assistance said the numbers of US soldiers are in Liberia to fill the gap and accomplish the mission that they came for.

He said in the next couple of weeks the US Army's presence will be felt in Liberia and that they will be working along with the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) and the Liberia Government in fighting the vicious Ebola virus.Gen. Williams said the U.S Military is about urgency and speed and with the hope of containing the Ebola virus.

He said that the Government of Liberia has approved that the medical center should be built in Margibi County for health workers only and that the medical center will not be used because health workers are needed at the Ebola Treatment Units to save lives.

Major General Williams stated that the US Army brings in additional capacity to help international partners bring the epidemic under control. He said these efforts will entail command and control, logistics expertise, training and engineering support.

Meanwhile, Dr. Brendan Flannery of the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, Liberia Field Team has called on health workers to treat those infested with the Ebola virus with compassion. He said the Ebola virus is a public health emergency.

He stressed that building more Ebola Treatment Units is not going to contain the deadly disease. He said people should not wait for the disease to get worse before going to the treatment unit and reminded Liberians that the virus has no cure, so it is better to admit that one has the disease at an early stage than to deny it.

At the same time, the U.S. Africa Command has disclosed that it will set up a Joint Force Command headquartered in Monrovia, Liberia, to provide regional command and control support to U.S. military activities and facilitate coordination with U.S. government and international relief efforts.

'The Command Engineers will build additional Ebola Treatment Units in affected areas and the U.S. Government will help recruit and organize medical personnel to staff them. Additionally, the command will establish a site to train up to 500 health care providers per week, enabling healthcare workers to safely provide direct medical care to patients.

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