A diplomatic storm is brewing between Italy, Britain and Nigeria over Thursday’s failed bid to rescue one British and one Italian hostage from terrorists in Sokoto.
Chris McManus, from the North West of England, and his colleague Franco Lamolinara were working for an Italian construction firm, B Stabilini, in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State when they were kidnapped by members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram in May 2011.
They were killed when a secret operation involving Nigerian and British special forces went awry.
Italy’s leading newspaper, Corriere della Sera, was highly critical of the failed operation in a front-page editorial on Friday. It said the death of the Italian hostage was “an unacceptable slap and excuses are not good enoughâ€, adding that the affair was a “humiliation†for Italy.
It said Britain only tried to play up its imperial glory by opting for force instead of diplomacy in resolving the kidnap of both men.
The paper also said there were questions about why the 40 British Special Boat Service opted to invade the house where the hostages were kept in Sokoto at noon, against standard procedure of pre-dawn raids.
There were also questions about what time Britain informed Italy about the raid and why it did not do so in good time.
The Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, said on Friday that the British government’s failure to inform his country before the operation was “inexplicable behaviour†and said a “political and diplomatic clarification†was necessary.
“Italy wasn’t informed or asked its opinion about a blitz that put at mortal risk an Italian citizen,†Reuters quoted Fabrizio Cicchitto, a senior official in former leader Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Liberty party, as saying in a television interview.
“Between allies, this sort of mission is usually talked about beforehand. The British government bypassed and completely ignored us,†he said.
While Italian media criticised Britain for acting unilaterally, commentators also said the event underscored Italy’s diminishing international clout.
They linked the incident to an ongoing struggle by Italy to free two marines on anti-piracy duty who are being held in India for shooting dead two fishermen in the Indian Ocean.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said Italy had been informed only after the raid began against a compound in the town of Sokoto. The British government confirmed this on Friday.
Monti called a meeting on Friday with his senior security ministers and a representative of the secret services. A parliamentary committee has also said it will open a probe.
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