The troops knew they were entering a volatile situation Photo: AP
As The Diplomatic Team In Libya Were Rescued By HMS Cumberland After Their Humiliating Capture, The Ministry Of Defence Was Left Trying To Work Out What On Earth Went Wrong.
By Caroline Gammell, and Nick Meo in Benghazi
8:08PM GMT 06 Mar 2011
Courtesy Of "The Telegraph"
When the helicopter touched down outside Benghazi in the early hours of Friday morning, the SAS troops on board knew they were entering a volatile situation.
Tasked with escorting a diplomat to meet rebel Libyan forces and assessing the humanitarian situation on the ground, they did not, however, expect a hostile reception.
With the British Government openly rejecting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and already in dialogue with opposition leaders, it should have been an uncontroversial visit.
However, the manner of their arrival – in the dead of night, armed with weapons, maps and explosives while dressed in plain black clothing – did little to assuage local panic.
The contingent of seven SAS officers and one MI6 official landed about 20 miles from Benghazi, where local witnesses said warning shots were fired as they arrived. As the soldiers tried to get to a nearby compound, they were quickly surrounded by the local militia who demanded to know who they were and what they were doing.
They tried to bluff their way out of the increasingly tense situation, claiming they were unarmed, which was only made worse when their weapons were discovered.
Realising their cover had been blown and their supposedly discreet mission had been compromised, the soldiers put up no resistance as they were arrested.
Handcuffed and taken to a military base in Benghazi, they were well treated and allowed contact with British diplomats in the troubled country.
As the humiliating news of their arrest started to spread, the paths of diplomatic communication sprang into life.
Richard Northern, the British ambassador to Libya, was purportedly recorded having a conversation with one of the rebel leaders to try and solve the situation.
The tape, played on Libyan state television, showed him pleading for the group, claiming there had been a "misunderstanding" and asking for the opposition to intervene.
Mr Northern said the group was a small advance party of officials hoping to contact anti-Gaddafi forces and assess the humanitarian situation.
He even claimed that the group were planning to look for suitable hotels during the visit.
"I understand there has been a misunderstanding and they have been picked up by security groups who are concerned about their presence and who they are," he said.
"I hope to ask Mr Jalil (Mustafa Abdel Jalil, Col Gaddafi's former justice minister and now senior rebel leader) if he might be able to intervene and clear up this misunderstanding."
Mr Jalil's spokesman told the ambassador the British had made a major error in the manner of their arrival.
"They made a big mistake coming with a helicopter in an open area," he said.
His view was echoed by other rebels in Benghazi, who were puzzled by the way in which the British forces arrived.
Jalil Elgallal, a member of Benghazi's revolutionary media committee, said: "Nobody here was informed of their arrival; it has all been rather peculiar and we don't understand why they turned up like this."
Another rebel source said: "If this is an official delegation, why come with helicopters? Why not say 'we are coming, permission to land at the airport?' There are rules for these things."
By Sunday afternoon, a crisis had been averted as the soldiers were released and their weapons confiscated.
As they were rescued by HMS Cumberland which docked briefly in Benghazi before setting sail to Malta, the Ministry of Defence was left trying to work out what on earth went wrong.
By Martin Chulov, Mark Tran, Amy Fallon and Polly Curtis
Sunday 6 March 2011 18.27 GMT
Courtesy Of "The Guardian"
A British diplomatic effort to reach out to Libyan rebels has ended in humiliation as a team of British special forces and intelligence agents left Benghazi after being briefly detained.
The six SAS troops and two MI6 officers were seized by Libyan rebels in the eastern part of the country after arriving by helicopter four days ago. They left on HMS Cumberland, the frigate that had docked in Benghazi to evacuate British and other EU nationals as Libya lurched deeper into conflict. The diplomatic team's departure marked a perfunctory end to a bizarre and botched venture.
"I can confirm that a small British diplomatic team has been in Benghazi," said William Hague, the foreign secretary. "The team went to Libya to initiate contacts with the opposition. They experienced difficulties, which have now been satisfactorily resolved. They have now left Libya."
Audio of a telephone conversation between the UK's ambassador to Libya, Richard Northern, and a senior rebel leader was later leaked.
Northern suggested in the call that the SAS team had been detained due to a misunderstanding.
The rebel leader responded: "They made a big mistake, coming with a helicopter in an open area."
Northern said: "I didn't know how they were coming."
Despite the failure of the mission, Hague indicated that Britain would continue to try to make contact with the opposition.
"We intend, in consultation with the opposition, to send a further team to strengthen our dialogue in due course," he said. "This diplomatic effort is part of the UK's wider work on Libya, including our ongoing humanitarian support. We continue to press for Gaddafi to step down and we will work with the international community to support the legitimate ambitions of the Libyan people."
According to Guardian sources, the British intelligence and special forces unit were caught near the al-Khadra Farm Company, 18 miles (30km) south-west of Benghazi. A senior member of Benghazi's revolutionary council said: "They were carrying espionage equipment, reconnaissance equipment, multiple passports and weapons. This is no way to conduct yourself during an uprising.
"Gaddafi is bringing in thousands of mercenaries to kill us, most are using foreign passports and how do we know who these people are?
"They say they're British nationals and some of the passports they have are British. But the Israelis used British passports to kill that man in Dubai last year."
Rebel leaders said claimed the captives had been treated well and would be released as soon as the British government vouched for their identity with the rebel command.
The news follows Sunday Times claims that an SAS unit was being held by rebel forces it had approached in an attempt to open up diplomatic channels to opponents of Muammar Gaddafi.
Whitehall sources said on Friday it needed to learn more about the leadership of the anti-Gaddafi forces and find out what logistical support they needed, but would not give arms to the rebels, as an international arms embargo was in place.
British officials during the day declined to comment on reports that special forces were being held but defended the objective of the mission.
The defence secretary, Liam Fox said: "It is a very difficult situation to be able to understand in detail. There are a number of different opposition groups to Colonel Gaddafi in Libya who do seem relatively disparate. We want to clearly understand what the dynamic is here because we want to be able to work with them to ensure the demise of the Gaddafi regime, to see a transition to greater stability in Libya and ultimately to more representative government.
"So getting a picture of that is relatively difficult, as is widely reported. Communications are being interrupted, there are difficulties with mobile phones, with the internet potentially being interfered with.
"So we are trying to build a picture – it's essential that the government does that and it's essential that all western governments do that so we are able to get a clearer idea of what we are able to do in terms of helping the people of Libya."
David Cameron, speaking at the Tory party spring conference in Cardiff, repeated his call for "Gaddafi to go". "On Libya, our strategy is clear," he said. "We will continue to intensify pressure on the regime. We will continue to state clearly that international justice has a long reach and a long memory, and that those who commit crimes against humanity will not go unpunished. We will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by this crisis, and continue to demand access for aid agencies to reach those in need.
And we will continue to plan, with our allies, for every eventuality. "
The Sunday Times reported Libyan and British sources confirming the SAS unit had been detained by rebel forces it had approached to secure a meeting with a junior diplomat to offer help in their fight against Gaddafi. The mission backfired when rebel leaders in Benghazi objected to foreign interference from governments which had not yet formally recognised them as Libya's legitimate rulers, it said.
No comments:
Post a Comment