No reason to be nervous, British say

The commander of British forces in Sierra Leone, Brigadier Nick Parker, said on Thursday that there was no reason for Sierra Leoneans to be worried by the imminent withdrawal of British troops. Britain announced last week it would cut its military training force by nearly half from 600 in September. "I think there is absolutely no justification for anybody to feel nervous because of any action that the British are taking," he said in a BBC interview. The situation in Sierra Leone had changed over the last few months, he added, with the strengthening and deployment of UN peacekeeping troops across the country and the ongoing disarmament by former rebels and government troops.