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UK Seeks to Win Release of Soldiers Captive In Sierra Leone
Britain on Sunday began its efforts to win the release of 11 captive British soldiers in Sierra Leone, in cooperation with the government of the West African country.
"We have made contact with those who appear to be holding the men," a defense ministry spokesman said, adding that "discussions are at a very early stage."
But the spokesman acknowledged that Britain was "working closely with the government of Sierra Leone to try to bring this to a conclusion."
The Ministry of Defense said on Saturday that the leader of the 11-man British team, which was captured on Friday while patrolling near Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, had been in contact and said all were "being fed and well-treated."
"We have made contact with those who appear to be holding" the men, a Defense Ministry spokesman said.
Reports here quoted a British force spokesman in Freetown as saying that "efforts are still going on to secure their safe release. Negotiations are going on."
Earlier in London, Defense Minister John Spellar said he was quite optimistic about the release of the soldiers.
"Together with the Sierra Leonean government we will be working very hard to resolve this," Spellar said.
The British troops were reportedly stationed at a base about 40 kilometers east of Freetown, where British instructors are training Sierra Leonean army recruits. They were accompanied by a government soldier, who was acting as their guide and was also believed to have been captured.
Since Sierra Leone's civil war began in 1991, the rebels have killed tens of thousands of people in an attempt to gain control of the government and the country's diamond-mining regions.
Britain sent 1,000 soldiers to Freetown in May when the rebels re-started the conflict, seizing 500 United Nations peacekeepers and advancing towards the capital. Their presence was thought to have done much to stabilize the situation in Sierra Leone, a former British colony.
When the British forces withdrew in mid-June, they left behind about 400 soldiers to train Sierra Leone army recruits.
Britain has also donated arms and equipment and sent military advisers to Sierra Leone.
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