Talks to free remaining British hostages

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (CNN) -- UK military officials say they are "determined" to secure the early release of the six British soldiers still being held by a rebel group in Sierra Leone.

Five of the hostages, who are all members of the Royal Irish Regiment, were freed by their captors -- known as the West Side Boys -- late on Wednesday.

"We have an ongoing dialogue and as soon as we can secure the release of the remaining captives we will," a Ministry of Defence spokesman told CNN.com.

"It would be dangerous to speculate on how negotiations are progressing but I can say we are determined to reach a swift and safe conclusion."

The spokesman said he had no details on where and how the five were freed or whether any deal was struck with the kidnappers.

It is known that they are all well and have now returned to the Freetown area to be de-briefed.

Wednesday's release followed face-to-face talks with the West Side Boys, a renegade faction made up of soldiers from the former Sierra Leone army, who claim loyalty to the military junta which ruled the country in 1997-8.

Negotiators were also allowed to meet one of the hostages to ascertain that they were all safe and in good spirits.

There is controversy surrounding the abduction of the men, which happened near the town of Masiaka, around 75 km (47 miles) to the east of the capital on Friday.

The acting commander of the United Nations peacekeeping force in the West African state accused the British troops of running a "Rambo" mission, of which he had not been informed.

Gen. Mohammed Garba, a Nigerian, disputed the British claim that they were seized while returning from a routine visit to peacekeepers.

On Wednesday, British army officials admitted the soldiers, some of whom are thought to have special forces training, could have been deep inside militia-held territory when they were captured.

"The fact is that we don't know and we won't know until we have had a chance to speak to the men themselves after their release," said Lt. Cdr. Tony Cramp, a British military spokesman in Freetown.

On Thursday British defence officials insisted no comment would be made until all 11 soldiers had been freed.

"The five that have been freed are being de-briefed and will be able to give a better picture of exactly what happened," said a spokesman.

"Our priority now is to secure the release of the remaining soldiers. After that we will look back and decide whether there are any lessons to be learned from any mistakes that might have been made."

The soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment are among around 400 British troops in Sierra Leone to train the country's new army.

Five British soldiers released in Sierra Leone
August 30, 2000
British army hostages 'safe' in Sierra Leone
August 30, 2000
British search for captured troops in Sierra Leone
August 27, 2000

Sierra Leone on the Web
British Ministry of Defence
UN Mission in Sierra Leone

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.