BANGUI, the Central African Republic -- U.S. special forces are in Africa helping track the Lord's Resistance Army, a brutal rebel group known for kidnapping children and forcing them to become soldiers or sex slaves.

This week, the United States military dropped an unknown number of American troops in a remote part of the central African republic.

The deployment of those U.S Special Forces could not have come at a better time for that part of the continent.

Countries like Uganda, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have suffered immensely under the actions of the Lord's Resistance Army.

For example, in 2009, LRA forces came to the Central African Republic and attacked several small towns and villages. The government could do little to protect its people.

The U.S. special forces offer not just personnel for the struggling area, but also tactical operations and the ability to train local soldiers in the countries.

Intelligence assets will also be deployed in the region to deal with the threat of the LRA.