TARAWA IT WAS NOT. TO BE SURE, THE U.S. MARINES who hit the sands of Somalia before dawn last Wednesday were wearing full battle dress; an advance guard of Navy SEALs sported camouflage paint. But the Marines jumped from hovercrafts and helicopters into a blaze not of gunfire but of TV lights, aimed and fired by a media army that had flown into the capital of Mogadishu in advance. Hardly any Somalis were to be seen; a few who showed up later wanted to shake hands.
The Marines quickly took control of Mogadishu's airport and docks. By Wednesday afternoon, the first...
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