ALBRIGHT DEFENDS CONDUCT OF MARINES IN KENYA EMBASSY BOMBING
USIA
19 August 1998
ALBRIGHT DEFENDS CONDUCT OF MARINES IN KENYA EMBASSY BOMBING
(U.S. efforts to rebuild in Nairobi 'far from complete') (990)
By Robert Fullerton
USIA Staff Writer
WASHINGTON -- U.S. humanitarian actions to aid Kenyan victims
immediately after the terrorist bombing of the American Embassy in
Nairobi may not have been perfect, but "allegations of callousness are
wrong," Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said during a brief
visit to the Kenyan capital August 18.
"In the circumstances, amidst the horror, the fears, and the different
jobs that had to be done, it's not surprising that there were
misunderstandings," Albright insisted while reflecting on the conduct
of the embassy's U.S. Marine Corps security guards (MSG) shortly after
the August 7 explosion.
Albright arrived in Nairobi after visiting the U.S. Embassy in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania, site of a second terrorist bombing just minutes
after the Nairobi explosion. In Tanzania she spoke to about 200
embassy workers at the home of U.S. Mission head John Lange. The
secretary also toured the bomb-scarred embassy, held talks with
Tanzanian government officials, presented awards to embassy workers,
and visited with survivors of the bombing being treated at the
Muhimbili Medical Center in Dar es Salaam.
Latest figures indicate that 257 people died in the two bombings,
including 12 Americans in Nairobi, where 5,000 persons were injured as
well.
Albright, who reiterated the U.S. government's pledge to bring the
terrorist bombers to justice, defended security procedures and search
and rescue actions by the Marine security guards attached to the
embassy.
"I know there is anguish about what happened in the aftermath of the
bombings," she said. "And I cannot say we acted perfectly; but I
believe that allegations of callousness are wrong. In the
circumstances, amidst the horror, the fears, and the different jobs
that had to be done, it's not surprising that there were
misunderstandings. The U.S. Marines limited access not out of
indifference but because they were afraid that the weakened building
would collapse and trap new victims, in order to keep people away from
the burning fuel tanks, and because they were concerned about the
possibility of a second terrorist attack.
"Meanwhile, there were many heroes," she added. "The people of Kenya
may be proud of the efforts made with nothing more than muscles, bare
hands, and the urgency of desperate caring to retrieve people from the
rubble and save their lives. A number of foreign countries, especially
the Israelis, earned our admiration and gratitude for all they did to
help."
Albright's remarks backed those by an embassy spokesman who had
characterized criticism of efforts by U.S. Marines as unfortunate,
pointing to the "tremendous amount of confusion" after the explosion.
"We really didn't want additional, unidentified good Samaritans
entering [the area] only to be possibly injured or killed in an effort
to be helpful -- and also possibly eradicating valuable evidence that
investigators might need later," the spokesman said. Newspaper
criticisms, he added, have been directed against the wrong people.
"Like them [Kenyans], we're victims. And the perpetrators are monsters
who were willing to kill more than 20 Kenyans for every dead
American."
A U.S. Marine Corps officer also defended the MSG actions after the
truck bomb blast, which destroyed the rear of the embassy and caused
the nearby Ufundi Cooperative Building to collapse on it. As "smoke
and fire were billowing" throughout the embassy and "injured and
confused people" poured out from it, he said, the Marines "were
running into the building looking for survivors. With no thought for
their own lives, having no idea what else might happen, or whether or
not the shattered structure would cave in on them, the Marines
immediately reacted and began a sweep of the building."
The officer provided a graphic picture of damage to the embassy, a
concrete structure with five stories above and two below ground level.
"When the [truck] bomb exploded, the force of the blast was so
devastating that it blew out almost every closed window and frame on
the building," the officer said. "Twelve-inch-[30.4 centimeter]-thick
concrete walls on all floors of the embassy were shattered like thin
plates of glass. Solid wooden doors mounted on steel frames were sent
airborne, landing throughout the structure. Windows on office
buildings over a quarter of a mile (.4 kilometer) away were shattered.
There was not an office space that survived inside of the embassy.
Bodies were spread all over, most of which were buried under up to
eight feet (2.4 meters) of rubble."
The officer said the Marines worked unflaggingly in "clearing the
embassy, providing local security, moving the injured and the dead
from the rubble to safety. The condition of many of the dead was
horrific, making the task of search and rescue that much more
difficult for all concerned."
The officer recalled their efforts to locate the body of Sergeant
Jesse "Nathan" Aliganga. The Marine was buried under tons of rubble
and it took his comrades nearly 28 hours of "relentless digging with
their bare hands" to recover his body.
For survivors, Albright made plain that already extensive U.S. efforts
to help them will continue.
"When our Congress returns to Washington early next month, the
administration will request substantial emergency funds to help Kenya
and Tanzania recover," she promised. "We want to work with the
representatives of the people of Kenya and with the NGO community to
identify and meet specific needs, such as medical care, assistance for
the victims and their families, repairs to public infrastructure, and
security improvements. We also want to reaffirm our commitment to
helping the people of Kenya build a more prosperous and fully
democratic society."
According to the State Department, overall U.S. assistance in the wake
of the bombings in Kenya and Tanzania to date has totaled more than $5
million -- including $3.2 million for the relief effort from the U.S.
Agency for International Development.