Four US troops wounded in South Sudan: Pentagon
US deployed 45 troops on Wednesday to protect American personnel and assets in South Sudan.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Four US troops were wounded in South Sudan when their aircraft came under fire as they were headed to Bor to evacuate Americans, the Pentagon said on Saturday.
Three helicopters were forced to return to neighboring Uganda with one of the aircraft hit and leaking fuel, diplomatic and Ugandan military sources earlier told AFP.
"The injured troops are being treated for their wounds," a Pentagon statement said. It did not confirm if the aircraft involved were helicopters.
The United States deployed 45 troops on Wednesday to protect American personnel and assets in South Sudan, amid intensifying fighting between rebels and government forces.
In a letter to Congress, President Barack Obama said the force "will remain in South Sudan until the security situation becomes such that it is no longer needed."
"Although equipped for combat, this force was deployed for the purpose of protecting US citizens and property," he added.
Violence erupted after a meeting last week of leaders of the ruling Sudan People s Liberation Movement (SPLM) failed to ease tensions in the party.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir has accused Machar, whom he fired in July along with his entire cabinet, of staging an attempted coup. The former vice president has denied the charge, but his whereabouts are unknown.
Even as diplomatic initiatives were multiplying in South Sudan, the death toll continued to climb as violence spread between rival ethnic groups.
Six days into the battles between followers of Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, a Nuer, at least 500 people have been killed in Juba alone.
Foreign governments meanwhile scrambled to get their nationals out of harm s way.
