HU OSA 350-3-2:3/12

British Soldier Killed

Item

Moving Image

3 minutes

English (Original)

Not Restricted

television program

The West Side Boys, an armed group in Sierra Leone, captured 11 soldiers from Britain's Royal Irish Regiment and one Sierra Leone liaison officer on August 25, 2000, near the towns of Masiaka and Forudugu, later releasing five of them but refusing to negotiate the fate of the remaining ones. As a result, "Operation Barras" was launched on the morning of September 10, 2000, by the British Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Parachute Regiment. The video contains footage from two press conferences that took place in London following the British raid on the West Side Boys headquarters. In the first segment, British Prime Minister Tony Blair reports that the mission was a success despite some casualties. The second part of the video contains footage from a press conference in London featuring Chief of Defense Staff General Sir Charles Guthrie, Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon, and British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Peter Hain. The images from the press conference are followed by footage of teenage members of the West Side Boys crossing a bridge near Masiaka in May 2000. The video ends with footage of British forces interacting with Sierra Leonean civilians in and around Freetown.