The United States Air Force conducted a humanitarian mission, airlifting thousands of Kurdish refugees from Northern Iraq to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
There was media speculation that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was about to call a permanent ceasefire
Operation Pacific Haven was a joint humanitarian mission conducted by the Department of Defence and the Department of Health and Human Services.
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In September 1996, USAF aircraft began airlifting more than 6,500 Kurdish refugees from northern Iraq to Andersen AFB, Guam as they prepared for immigration and resettlement in the United States. Many of the refugees were American allies who assisted the US following the 1991 Gulf War.
Once on Guam, the refugees moved to comfortable temporary housing on the base. Donations and support from the local Air Force community supplied the refugees with essential clothing and household goods.
A USAF medical team from Japan provided the refugees with emergency care, examinations, and vaccinations as they awaited asylum in the US. The US Air Force played a critical role helping these vulnerable refugees begin new lives in the US.
There was media speculation that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was about to call a permanent ceasefire, but this was rejected by republican representatives.
There were a series of pickets by loyalists outside Catholic chapels in Ballymena, Bushmills and Dervock, all in County Antrim. A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) councillor, David McAllister, said the pickets were a response to the rerouting of Orange parades and the boycott of Protestant businesses by Catholics. The protests were widely condemned.
The Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) arrested three men in connection with the murder of Michael Whelan (35) on 12 September 1996.