FYI
From
Habib Diab Ghanim, Dr
JULY 15, 14:29 EDT
Sierra Leone Peacekeepers Freed
By CLARENCE ROY-MACAULAY
Associated Press Writer
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — U.N. troops,
in a rare display of force, on Saturday freed
all 222 peacekeepers and 11 military observers
trapped by rebels inside a U.N. base in
eastern Sierra Leone, U.N. officials said.
The U.N. observers, of various nationalities,
were flown safely by British military
helicopters to Freetown. The 222 Indian
troops, who had been unable to leave their
base in the rebel headquarters of Kailahun
since May, meanwhile faced heavy rebel
gunfire as they made their way by road
toward the U.N.-controlled town of Daru, U.N.
spokesman Nigerian Lt. Commander Patrick
Coker said.
The fate of the rescue convoy was unclear as dusk approached on
the muddy road winding through rebel-controlled rain forest.
The decision to mount a rescue was made after the U.N. force in
Sierra Leone received a distress call from the detainees about
dwindling food and medical supplies, according to a U.N. statement.
The operation began about 6 a.m.
in Kailahun, about 200 miles east
of Freetown, when helicopters
picked up the military observers.
Rebels fired at U.N. troops and the
helicopters, said a senior
peacekeeping officer, Indian Maj.
Arun Anthanarayan.
The rebels suffered ``serious
casualties'' and two Indian
peacekeepers had gunshot wounds
to the hand and thigh respectively,
Anthanarayan added. No one in
the aircraft were injured.
``The situation is still fluid,''
Anthanarayan said. The column of freed peacekeepers were traveling
by road in a bid to link up with U.N. troops who fought their way to
the rebel-held town of Pendembu, where the British helicopters and
U.N. troops also faced rebel fire. From there, both groups hoped to
travel onward to safety in Daru.
The rescue came two months after the rebels of the Revolutionary
United Front reignited Sierra Leone's eight-year civil war by
launching
attacks on towns and capturing some 500 U.N. hostages. Those
hostages were disarmed, and released after several weeks.
Over the course of the war, the rebels have systematically killed and
maimed tens of thousands of innocent civilians in a bid to gain power
through fear. They have abandoned three different peace accords.
On Saturday, the 11 military observers arrived in Freetown, looking
tired but healthy.
``It's great to be back,'' British Maj. Andrew Harrison said,
praising the
rescue operation for its efficiency. The helicopters landed for less
than
a minute to pick up the observers before taking off again, he said.
``Our thoughts are with the (Indian peacekeepers) who are still
traveling to Daru,'' he added.
Harrison also spoke briefly about a 10-day period of captivity in
early
May when he was ``maltreated'' by rebels before being allowed to join
the Indian contingent in Kailahun, which had more freedom of
movement.
``We were (initially) maltreated, held in a hut with armed guards,''
he
said without elaborating, adding that local civilians were ``very
friendly'' to the captives.
While they had been detained, the 222 U.N. peacekeepers still had
their weapons. Over the past two weeks, however, the rebels refused
to allow the U.N. force in Sierra Leone, known as UNAMSIL, to send
them food supplies by road or air.
Recent torrential rains had also limited the detained peacekeepers'
ability to move, the U.N. statement added. The U.N. soldiers were in
a
base measuring 500 by 500 yards.
``With a distress signal received from (the detained troops in)
Kailahun, regarding the dwindling food and medical stocks, there was
no alternative to a military option,'' the statement said. ``The
RUF's
illegal actions, which have been universally condemned and for which
appeals had been made by UNAMSIL to the RUF for quick resolution,
yielded no results.''
Kailahun, which has served as the rebels' main headquarters since
they launched the war in the early 1990s, is a ravaged town
overtaken by jungle.
The U.N. rescue team consisted of troops from Ghana, India and
Nigeria, according to a U.N. statement earlier Saturday. U.N. force
commander Indian Maj. Gen. Vijay Jetley was personally overseeing
the mission from a nearby U.N. base in the town of Daru.
In a communique, Britain's Defense Secretary, Geoffrey Hoon, praised
the United Nations' efforts to secure the safety of the detained
military observers, including Harrison.
``I welcome this decisive action by UNAMSIL which demonstrates its
clear resolve to operate where and when it needs, in order to meet
its
mandate in Sierra Leone,'' Hoon said.
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