Operation Octopus – The Siege of Monrovia
In October 1992, rebel forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) launched Operation Octopus — a coordinated assault on Monrovia aimed at toppling the Interim Government of National Unity. For months, the capital became a battlefield. Mortar fire, shelling, and close-quarter combat killed thousands of civilians and forced tens of thousands to […]
The Capture and Killing of President Samuel Doe
On September 9, 1990, President Samuel Doe was captured by rebel fighters of the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL) led by Prince Johnson. Doe had sought refuge at the ECOMOG base at the Freeport of Monrovia, but was seized after a confrontation. Hours later, a gruesome video surfaced showing the torture and execution […]
Operation Sharp Edge – U.S. Evacuation of Monrovia
In August 1990, as Liberia’s civil war intensified and violence consumed the capital, the United States launched Operation Sharp Edge — a military humanitarian mission to evacuate American and foreign civilians trapped in Monrovia. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit landed on Liberian shores under constant threat of crossfire between rival factions. Over the […]