Gen. Mohamed Aidid's forces Thursday released a U.S. helicopter pilot captured 11 days ago during fierce fighting in Mogadishu. A Nigerian peacekeeper taken prisoner in September also was freed.
The pilot, Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant, had no comment as he was gingerly carried on a Red Cross stretcher from a compound in central Mogadishu. He appeared to be in pain and looked dazed. His legs were covered with a sheet.President Clinton, speaking at a news conference in Washington, said no deal had been made for Durant's release.
U.N. officials said Durant would need immediate medical attention for leg, arm and back injuries. A doctor at the American field hospital where he was examined shortly after his release said Durant's overall condition was good and he appeared to be in good spirits.
Durant, 32, of Berlin, N.H., was captured when his helicopter went down during an Oct. 3 battle in Mogadishu that killed 18 American soldiers, a Malaysian trooper and more than 300 Somalis.
Aidid, who has been eluding U.N. capture since June, came out of hiding to tell Western reporters at a news conference in Mogadishu that he planned to release Durant and the Nigerian, trooper Umar Shantali, unconditionally.
He gave no explanation for his decision. But there was speculation that 32 Somalis in U.N. custody, including four key Aidid aides, would be released within the next few days.
Clinton said it was "up to the U.N." whether Aidid's lieutenants would be released. Their release was a condition demanded by Aidid while Durant was being held.
"We made no deals to secure the release of Chief Warrant Officer Durant," Clinton told reporters.
Asked whether he still wanted Aidid's arrest, the president did not give a clear "yes" or "no." He said a U.N. resolution had called for the general's capture "and we ought to pursue it, (but) there may be other ways to do it and I'm open to that."
Clinton called Durant's release one of the "hopeful actions" he said indicated U.S. policy in Somalia was "moving in the right direction and making progress."
The release was announced by the Pentagon several hours before Clinton's news conference. "We've got him," said Lt. Cmdr. Joe Gradisher.
Clinton said Durant's wife had an "extended conversation with her husband" and that Durant would be flown to Germany for medical care. He was first taken to a Swedish relief hospital, then to the American hospital.
Col. Bruce Bailey, the doctor in command of the 46th Combat Support Hospital, said the pilot told doctors he was shot in the thigh when his helicopter was shot down. The wound was cleaned and dressed while he was in captivity, and he was given antibiotics, Bailey said.
Durant also reported back pain from injuries suffered when his helicopter crashed, Bailey said, and during his captivity the American said he was shot in the arm after he was captured.
But his overall condition seems good, Bailey said, and "his doctors report he seems to be in good spirits."
Earlier, an apparently relaxed Aidid, dressed in a striped shirt and tie, told reporters that "respecting the international opinion," his militia decided to release "the two prisoners of war."
Since June, U.N. forces have mounted an intense military operation in search of Aidid that has led to the deaths of dozens of peacekeepers and hundreds of Somalis. But a congressional outcry has broken out over the loss of life, and the United States has made clear that the general's capture is not the aim of its mission.
Clinton has since announced that U.S. troops would be withdrawn by March 31.
That Aidid was confident enough to invite journalists to a news conference was a sign he no longer felt threatened by U.N. forces. But he said he would remain in hiding.