YAMOUSSOUKRO, Ivory Coast (AP) -- U.S. military C-130s and U.S. troops landed in Ivory Coast on Wednesday on a rescue mission for Americans in the West African nation's deadliest-ever uprising. Two U.S. cargo planes touched down at 2 p.m. in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast's central capital and staging area for a French rescue mission earlier Wednesday to the cut-off, rebel-held city of Bouake. Richard Buangan, an American diplomat helping to coordinate at the staging area, said about 300 Americans were trapped in Bouake. "Our idea is to get as many out as possible," he told an Associated Press reporter at the scene. American soldiers jumped off the planes on touchdown, securing the tarmac as gun-mounted Humvees drove down the ramps. Armed, uniformed troops, some in helmets, then filed down onto the airstrip in the thickly forested city. An AP reporter earlier witnessed two U.S. C-130s take off from Ghana's capital, Accra, hours after arriving in the neighboring country for the rescue mission. The rush to safeguard Westerners comes as Ivory Coast's government struggles to retake two cities, Bouake and the northern opposition stronghold of Korhogo, lost to insurgents since Thursday's coup attempt. At least 270 people died in the first days of the uprising. The U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, confirmed early Wednesday that troops had landed at a West African staging area. "Forces have arrived in the region to be in a closer position to provide for the safety and security of the American citizens in the Ivory Coast in wake of the recent civil unrest," said Maj. Bill Bigelow, a spokesman for the European Command, before the landings in Yamoussoukro. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~