London - The company commander of the 11 British soldiers seized by Sierra Leone rebels made his decision to visit the village where they were captured "on the spur of the moment", senior British defence sources said yesterday. But they stressed that he genuinely believed the village of Magbeni held only its local civilian population.
One source said Maj Alan Marshall (33) tried to resist his captors and was "brutally assaulted". They said he was reported to have acted bravely in seeking to look after his men during their ordeal.
Maj Marshall, of the Royal Irish Regiment, is unlikely to be court-martialled but will be dealt with by military administrative procedures. The first step will be a formal reprimand by a senior officer, who could be the Commander-in-Chief of UK Land Command, Gen Sir Mike Jackson.
"He made a mistake which had grave consequences," said one source. "He has repeated at the start and finish of every conversation that he absolutely accepts, as the company commander, full responsibility. He is right to do so. But he will not be castigated or pilloried. He will be dealt with professionally."