Youth supporters of the Liberian government hold automatic weapons and a rocket launcher as they travel through Monrovia June 30, 2003. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan kept up pressure on the US to lead intervention in Liberia on Monday as troops strengthened defenses around battle-worn Monrovia in fear of another bloody rebel attack. West African countries pledged troops for a peacekeeping force on Sunday, but they want help from the US to prevent a bloodbath in the capital and end nearly 14 years of violence that have infected the impoverished region. [Reuters]
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