U.S. Troops Again Under Fire in Haiti, Aristide to Visit Jamaica

12/03/2004| IslamWeb

U.S. Marines fought new gunbattles in Haiti as consternation spread on Friday in the poor, strife-torn nation over plans by ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to return to the Caribbean. Marine Staff Sgt. Tim Edwards said a patrol came under attack in Port-au-Prince twice on Thursday evening. "Neither the Marines nor the gunmen suffered casualties," Edwards said. A shotgun was found when U.S. soldiers and Haitian police searched the area of the firefight in the heavily looted industrial zone of Saint Martin near the airport, but no one was arrested. The Marines, leading a 2,550-strong force of French, Canadian and Chilean troops, have fought at least a half dozen battles since they landed just under two weeks ago. The gunmen are suspected of being Aristide supporters, enraged at the loss of Haiti's first democratically elected leader in what many of them fervently believe was a U.S. coup. Since Sunday, the US soldiers have killed four people, including a taxi driver who failed to stop as he sped toward a roadblock. **Aristide to Visit Jamaica*** Meanwhile, the ousted Haitian President is planning a visit to Jamaica amid vociferous calls for his return. More than 1000 of his supporters demonstrated in Port-au-Prince demanding his return on a day when the Jamaican Prime Minister P.J.Patterson announced that Aristide would visit his country early next week for a 10-week stay. Angered by Aristide's departure from the country, his supporters marched from a tense neighbourhood in the city centre to the presidential palace on Thursday. Aristide has accused the United States and France of kidnapping him from Haiti. Demonstrators shouted "Aristide must return" and "arrest (US ambassador) Jim Foley for kidnapping" and "Bush terrorist." "Aristide is our father, our dream. We don't need the US or French army. We need Aristide back in Haiti. He is the leader of the poor people," said Pierre Jean-Louis. **PHOTO CAPTION*** A Haitian policeman aims his gun at protesters in front of the Presidential Palace in downtown in Port-au-Prince, March 11, 2004. (Eliana Aponte/Reuters)