I was taken hostage in Sierra Leone: Twenty-five years later, I went back to face it |
By Ian Getty
Twenty-five years ago, I was taken hostage in Sierra Leone.
Eleven of us - ten British soldiers and our interpreter - were captured by the West Side Boys militia during the country’s brutal civil war. We were held in a jungle camp, surrounded by chaos and uncertainty, where the threat to our lives was constant.
When negotiations broke down, the British Army launched Operation Barras, a high-risk rescue mission carried out by the Parachute Regiment and Special Forces.
It was fast, fierce and successful - but it came at a terrible price. One British soldier, Brad Tinnion, was killed, and several others were badly wounded. We were brought home, but none of us were the same.
For years, I tried to put it behind me. Like many veterans, I........