US President George W. Bush has authorised a small contingent of US troops to enter Liberia to provide logistical support for West African peacekeeping forces.
The troops could enter Liberia as early as today, and the team could grow up to 20 in coming days, a US official said.
The West African peacekeepers are already bringing some calm to the country. African nations and the UN have urged the United States to participate in the force, citing its historic ties with the nation founded by freed US slaves in the mid-19th century.
Mr Bush has said that Liberian President Charles Taylor must leave Liberia. Mr Taylor, then a warlord, began the civil war in 1989 that has ravaged the tiny nation.
One of his conditions for leaving is US participation in a peacekeeping force.
PA