JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: The United States is planning to get military involved in Africa, training African soldiers to take back some valuable rebel-held territory in Sierra Leone. CNN's military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre is at the Pentagon with a live report -- Jamie.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Judy, Pentagon officials say roughly 200 U.S. troops will be sent to Nigeria as part of a plan to train and arm as many as 5,000 West-African soldiers to fight rebels in Sierra Leone who control diamond mines in the eastern part of the country. Under criticism it isn't doing enough to bring peace to Sierra Leone, the United States will provide some $20 million in military assistance to several West-African nations, primarily Nigeria, but also Ghana, and perhaps Senegal. The idea is to get seven battalions in shape to augment the U.N. peacekeeping force in Sierra Leone, which is trying to subdue gorilla insurgence. With no real peace to keep there, though, the U.S. Army military trainers won't be focusing as much on the niceties of peacekeeping, but rather the rigors of combat training. With the goal of creating a battle-ready force that can route the roughly 5,000 rebel gorilla troops who have been selling diamonds to fund their ragtag military. As one senior Pentagon official told CNN today: We want them to be able to get off the road, go into woods, and get the bad guys. The U.S. will outfit the African troops with everything from uniforms and canteens to rifles and mortals, but no heavy weapons or aircraft. And the Pentagon stresses that it is sending only trainers to Nigeria. No U.S. troops will actually go to Sierra Leone -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon, thanks.
United States to Send 200 Peacekeeping Troops to Africa