News / Africa
Dutch govt negotiates troops' release in Libya
03 Mar 2011 at 07:44hrs | Views
Dutch officials were on Thursdays in "intensive negotiations" with the Libyan government to secure the release of three marines who were captured by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in Libya.
The Dutch marines are being held by authorities in Libya after they were captured by Gaddafi forces while trying to rescue Dutch workers, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
The three were surrounded by armed men and captured on Sunday after landing near Sirte in a Lynx helicopter that was on board the navy ship HMS Tromp, which is anchored off the Libyan coast to help evacuations from the conflict torn country, spokesperson Otte Beeksma told The Associated Press.
"We have also been in contact with the crewmen involved," Beeksma said. "They are doing well under the circumstances and we hope they will be released as quickly as possible."
Asked if the Dutch government considered the marines hostages, Beeksma said, "they are being held by Libyan authorities".
Two people the marines were trying to rescue were also captured but have since been released and have left Libya.
The identities of the marines were not released.
News of the marines' detention by Gaddafi came a day after anti-government rebels fought off forces loyal to Gaddafi in a fierce battle for Brega, a strategic oil facility 740km east of Gaddafi's stronghold in Tripoli.
Gaddafi's crackdown has been the harshest in the Arab world to the wave of anti-government protests sweeping across parts of the Middle East and North Africa. His forces are regrouping in an attempt to regain territories now controlled by opponents of his regime.
Later on Thursday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is scheduled to announce he is opening an investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed in Libya.
The Dutch marines are being held by authorities in Libya after they were captured by Gaddafi forces while trying to rescue Dutch workers, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday.
The three were surrounded by armed men and captured on Sunday after landing near Sirte in a Lynx helicopter that was on board the navy ship HMS Tromp, which is anchored off the Libyan coast to help evacuations from the conflict torn country, spokesperson Otte Beeksma told The Associated Press.
"We have also been in contact with the crewmen involved," Beeksma said. "They are doing well under the circumstances and we hope they will be released as quickly as possible."
Asked if the Dutch government considered the marines hostages, Beeksma said, "they are being held by Libyan authorities".
Two people the marines were trying to rescue were also captured but have since been released and have left Libya.
The identities of the marines were not released.
News of the marines' detention by Gaddafi came a day after anti-government rebels fought off forces loyal to Gaddafi in a fierce battle for Brega, a strategic oil facility 740km east of Gaddafi's stronghold in Tripoli.
Gaddafi's crackdown has been the harshest in the Arab world to the wave of anti-government protests sweeping across parts of the Middle East and North Africa. His forces are regrouping in an attempt to regain territories now controlled by opponents of his regime.
Later on Thursday, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is scheduled to announce he is opening an investigation into possible crimes against humanity committed in Libya.
Source - AP
