Memo to US military in Congo

From the Washington Post:

Alan Doss, the top U.N. ambassador to Congo, stressed the need for civilian protection during the operation but noted that diplomats pushed for the Hutu militias to be disarmed.

The United Nations is helping with logistics and military planning; a small U.S. military team also arrived in the past week, though its role is not yet clear.

"There will be collateral damage, to use that horrible phrase," Doss said. "But again, the international community has pressed for this for a long time now."

MEMO to whatever US Special Forces are operating in Congo: You'll begin by thinking you can help them conduct a more targeted, humane operation; you'll continue by making excuses for them while publicly minimizing your own contribution; you'll end by denying any real involvement and getting into disputes with your critics over the final tally of the number slaughtered.

You don't know what you are getting into. You don't want to be a part of this.