Word: noriega
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...George Bush had ordered American forces to prevent Panamanian soldiers from reaching the headquarters where Manuel Noriega was bottled up, the U.S. surely had the military muscle to do the job. The 12,000 U.S. combat troops under the Southern Command far outstrip the 6,000-man Panama Defense Forces in both training and hardware. But civilian and military casualties would have been high, if only because the vital military installations are situated in downtown Panama City. As a Marine officer pointed out, "Even an M-1 rifle can kill a lot of people in a crowd...
Washington says the rebels requested only that U.S. forces prevent two units of about 200 men with light infantry weapons from reaching Noriega at his headquarters. The Americans at Fort Amador obstructed the movement of the P.D.F. 5th Infantry Company, which shares the Amador base. American units from Howard Air Force base were positioned to block the nearby Bridge of the Americas over the canal to prevent the arrival of the P.D.F. 7th Infantry Company from its base some 60 miles southwest of the capital. In neither case were U.S. forces challenged...
...possible future coup against Noriega, Bush said, "I hope I would never be reckless enough as a commander-in-chief to make a blanket commitment to use of force without knowing the facts regarding some coup attempt...
...seemed particularly disturbed by charges that he abandoned the rebels, leaving them on their own after publicly exhorting the Panamanian military to oust Noriega. Bush said that was "a stupid argument that some very erudite people make...
...rejected the idea of Noriega giving up powerin return for dismissal of drug-traffickingcharges in the United States, a possibility that areporter suggested had been raised with thepresident. "It would send an impossible signal inthis fight against drugs," Bush said...