Freetown - West African peacekeepers mopped up pockets of resistance in the Sierra Leone capital yesterday after capturing most of the city and putting leaders of the ruling military junta to flight.
A Nigerian warplane of the ECOMOG peacekeeping force intercepted two helicopter gunships carrying fleeing junta officials and forced them to land in Monrovia, the force's commander, Gen Timothy Shelpidi, said. He said the junta leader, Johnny Paul Koroma, was not among 25 officials in the two helicopters crewed by Ukrainians and Russians, who were arrested.