UK, Italy discuss failed hostage rescue operation

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague met Saturday with his Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata to discuss the recent unsuccessful hostage rescue operation in Nigeria. Italian President Giorgio Napolitano had attacked the British government for failing to inform its Italian counterparts ahead of its failed attempt to rescue two hostages Italian Franco Lamolinara and Briton Chris McManus on Thursday. Both men were killed by their captors before a joint operation by the Nigerian authorities and Britain’s Special Boat Service could rescue them from a compound in the city of Sokoto. "The behavior of the British government in not informing Italy is inexplicable,"Napolitano told reporters. "A political and diplomatic clarification is necessary." According to the UK Foreign Office website, Hague indicated that there had been a limited opportunity to secure the release of the two hostages who were in an increasingly dangerous situation. The UK Foreign Minister explained that under these circumstances it was only possible to inform Italy once the operation was underway. Terzi expressed deep sorrow and disappointment over the tragic outcome of the operation and both ministers agreed on the urgency of sharing full information to facilitate the reconstruction and understanding of these events. The British and Italian construction workers were taken captive by terrorists at northern Nigeria in May last year. They later appeared in an Internet video with armed gunmen who claimed to be with the al-Qaeda. Earlier on Friday, the first pictures of the buildings in Sokoto, Nigeria, where the men were held hostage were released.