UK to send more troops to Sierra Leone

Britain is to step up its military commitment to the war-torn west African state of Sierra Leone by sending hundreds of extra soldiers.

Britain is to step up its military commitment to the war-torn west African state of Sierra Leone by sending hundreds of extra soldiers.

British diplomatic sources in New York suggest the troops would go as part of a reorganisation of international intervention following the withdrawal of 3,000 Indian peace-keepers, according to BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed that an announcement would be made to Parliament next week, but stressed Britain would not be contributing troops to the UN's Unamsil peacekeeping force.

Several hundred British troops are currently training government forces in Sierra Leone. They liaise with Unamsil troops on the ground, but are not formally part of the UN operation.

The BBC said that the new troops are expected either to form an offshore rapid reaction force, for deployment in emergencies, or to be based on land to defend the UK training detachment and offer support to Unamsil.

The Foreign Office said that Britain's ambassador to the UN in New York, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, had been involved in talks about the future of the Unamsil operation.

Shadow defence secretary Iain Duncan Smith called on Foreign Secretary Robin Cook to make his plans for British involvement in Sierra Leone clear.