US Troops in Nigeria, Ghana

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has several dozen troops, including special forces soldiers, in Nigeria and Ghana preparing to train those nations' troops for possible peacekeeping duty in Sierra Leone, officials said Tuesday.

The U.S. troops, who have been in Nigeria and Ghana since late July, are reviewing military equipment needs and assessing how the African troops could be trained on equipment to be provided by the United States, Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said.

The equipment would be part of a $20 million aid package that pledged by President Clinton to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping effort in Sierra Leone.

Bacon said the Pentagon is considering outfitting three battalions in Nigeria and one battalion in Ghana, with equipment likely to include communications gear and small trucks. A battalion generally numbers several hundred soldiers.

``That money will probably be spent, in large part, helping to equip some Nigerian battalions,'' Bacon said. ``And we now have a team in Nigeria and part of the team is also in Ghana because we may do the same with a Ghanian battalion, reviewing what their equipment needs are and what their training needs are for using the equipment.''

Bacon said the U.S. military teams in Nigeria and Ghana probably will finish their assessment in a week or so and then make a recommendation on how to proceed.

``This is all designed to train Nigerian or Ghanian peacekeepers who then might be deployed to Sierra Leone,'' he said.