French army vehicle at the airport in Yamoussoukro, the capital of Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), September 24. French troop strength stood at 760 in its former colony after additional soldiers were sent there the previous day. Some 200 U.S. Special Forces were deployed to Ghana, from where they launched their intervention into Côte d’Ivoire. Both forces intervened under the guise of rescuing French and U.S. citizens caught in fighting between antigovernment soldiers and troops loyal to President Laurent Gbagbo.