US Barely Trying in Kony Hunt

When US troops arrived in the Central African Republic village of Obo, residents cheered. "The Americans have captured Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein," said one tribal chief. "Surely they can catch Joseph Kony." But so far the US has shown little progress in catching the Lord's Resistance Army chief, the Washington Post reports. Officials hoping the US would use satellites, surveillance drones, and other technology in the hunt have been sorely disappointed.

"The presence of the Americans has not changed anything," says one Obo priest. "We just see the Americans driving or walking in town." Local officers say the Americans haven't provided any satellite images or intelligence, and never venture into the forest for searches. The State Department says troops are only advising Central African Republic and Ugandan forces. That latter alliance has itself drawn criticism as Ugandan troops have committed heinous atrocities while hunting Kony, and critics charge that they're more interested in US aid than catching him. (More Joseph Kony stories.)