The US Invasion of Grenada

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The U.S invasion of Grenada, also known as Operation Urgent Fury was an invasion of the Caribbean island nation by forces led by the United States. It resulted into victory for the United States in just a few weeks . Grenada is a nation inhabited by approximately 91,000 people. The invasion was prompted by a military coup, which ousted the revolutionary government, it restored the constitutional government. The invasion was also as a response to the request for help by the Organization of American States (OAS). The official reason given by the U.S government for the invasion was the presence of approximately eight hundred American students at the True Blue Medical Facility. The presence of Soviet and Cuban personnel on the island was also a key factor which pushed the American government to invade.
On attaining independence, Grenada was led by Sir Eric Gairy until 1974. His term was marred by civil unrest in the country. In a charged political atmosphere, he was declared the victor of the 1976 general election, a result which was disputed by the opposition. What ensued was violence between gangs loyal to the New Jewel Movement (NJM), an outfit formed by the opposition, and Gairy’s private army; the Mongoose gang. The NJM started plotting on how to overthrow the government; they started receiving specialized military training outside the country. In March 1979, the NJM under the leadership of Maurice Bishop overthrew Gairy’s government and established the People’s Revolutionary Government (PRG). In October 1983, a splinter group from the party under the leadership of the Deputy Prime Minister, Bernard Coard deposed Maurice Bishop. The group placed him under house arrest, but protests opposing this action enabled him to escape dete...

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