COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, WORLD NEWS: The government of Sierra Leone is debating what to do with captured rebel leader Foday Sankoh. The government must decide whether to bring criminal charges. Sankoh's forces still hold about 330 United Nations peacekeepers. Robert Moore reports that some of the British troops already in the country have been in combat with the rebels.</s>ROBERT MOORE, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): The immediate area around the airport is secured by paratroopers and gherkers (ph). This is bush terrain the rebels know best. But constant patrolling provides British forces with a high degree of security. But it's in the remote village of Lungi Loi, well beyond the airport, where troops are most exposed. It was here that the fierce gun battle took place between rebels and a British patrol. The soldiers here requested their faces not be filmed, for these are men from the pathfinders - the secretive reconnaissance platoon of the parachute regiment. Soldiers here now talk about the 14 rebels killed, and their commanding officer says the firefight that erupted was unexpected.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It takes a few seconds to get over that initial surprise. But as soon as that initial surprise is over, you then just carry on as if it's a normal training range back in Great Britain.</s>MOORE (on camera): A lot of fear?</s>MOORE (voice-over): Sierra Leone's only helicopter gunship was also flying over the village, seeking to attack any rebels regrouping for another assault. (on camera): This is, in effect, the absolute front line for British troops - some 28 miles from the airport and secured by mortar positions and elite reconnaissance troops. And down this road are suspecting roaming bands of up to 1,000 rebels. (voice-over): As a consequence, hundreds of refugees, many of them children, are flocking to this village, terrorized by the rebels and now seeking sanctuary here under the protection of British soldiers. Robert Moore, ITN, Sierra Leone.
Some Clashes Occurring Between British Troops And Rebels In  Sierra Leone