Liberia has been making headlines in the news media these days. It is also a great opportunity to create a hypothetical AK-47 scenario involving UN peacekeepers and forces loyal to Liberia's leader, Charles Taylor. As this article / scenario background is being written, there are Nigerian peacekeepers and a few US Marines already there. What happened? Well, we need to look at its history. In the 1820's US soldiers began to escort freed African slaves to West Africa. Liberia was established in 1847 making it the first republic on the African continent! For many decades it was sub-Saharan Africa's richest country, thriving on American investment in rubber plantations. Liberia was a great ally to the US during the Cold War, but in 1979 things changes and the government fell to rebel troops. The ensuing years saw much struggle and chaos as the country was on the decline. Enter Charles Taylor. Charles Taylor is a Liberian-American who was educated in Boston. During the Cold War era he trained in the Libyan guerilla camps. On Christmas Eve 1989 with a small group of men, Charles Taylor plunged Liberia into conflict. His goal was to overthrow the then Liberian president, Samuel Doe. In 1997 after a bloody seven year civil war, Taylor became president. This would not last long for in 1999, LURD, (Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy) launched its operations from base near the Guinea border. This year (2003), another rebel movement made its presence known. MDL (Movement for Democracy in Liberia). Launching from the Ivory Coast border, this group is better armed and disciplined than LURD. Their objective is quite simple, oust Taylor from power. Situation United Nations peacekeeping forces have landed in Liberia. Troops and equipment from Nigeria, USA, Britain and France form the core of the peacekeeping forces. Troops loyal to Charles Taylor have been very active in the area. There is an orphanage in the same area as rubber plantations and rubber processing plants. An airfield is nearby and in the hands of Taylor's forces Please note: You need the AK-47 Rulebook and the AK-47 Supplement to play this scenario. The following rules are in effect for this scenario: 1] UN Player is the attacker. 2] Collateral damage rules from AK-47 supplement are used. 3] All Random Effects of Firing (19.15) are used. 4] Ambush rule from the supplement is used. 5] The victory conditions from the AK-47 supplement (5) are used 6] Reclassification of troops from the AK-47 supplement (15.5) are used 7] UN Forces have 4 air strikes available to them. Refer to page 22 of AK-47 rules for details. FORCES UN peacekeeping troops Group #1: US Navy SEALS (Professional) Arrive by helicopter. 4 X Small Arms groups I X HMG groups Group #2: US Army Rangers (Professional) Arrive by helicopter. 4 X Small Arms groups I X HMG groups Group #3: British SAS (Professional) Arrive by helicopter. 4 X Small Arms groups I X HMG groups Group #4: 2nd Parachute Infantry Regiment French Foreign Legion (Professional) 4 X Small Arms groups 1 X Armored Car with tank gun Group #5: 1st Liberian Relief Force Nigerian troops (Clan Militia) 8 X Small Arms groups 4 X RPG groups 2 X APCs 1 X Truck Government forces of Charles Taylor Group #1: Blessed ones of Taylor (Clan Militia) 8 X Small Arms groups 2 X RPG groups 1 X Recoilless Rifle on Jeep 2 X Trucks Group #2: Legates of Liberia (Clan Militia) 8 X Small Arms groups 2 X HMG groups I X Recoilless Rifle on Jeep Group #3: Sons of Nubia (Freelance Militia) 10 X Small Arms groups I X Mortar group Group #4: Mouth of Umbuku (Freelance Militia) 6 X Small Arms groups 4 X RPG groups I X Mortar group Group #5: Brothers of the Sun (Freelance Militia) 6 X Small Arms groups 4 X RPG groups  Deployment UN Forces: All Helicopter borne units arrive on the board by insertion. See page 14 of AK-47 for details. Helicopter models of Puma or Blackhawks may be used. Foreign Legion unit arrives normally as per AK-47 rules Liberian Government Forces: Two units may set up already on the table. All other Liberian forces arrive normally as per AK-47 rules. Terrain Each urban template may hold up to a maximum of 6 groups. Back to Table of Contents The Messenger August 2003 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles covering military history and related topics are available at http://www.magweb.com