Monrovia battle

MONROVIA (Reuter) - West Africa's Ecomog peace-keeping troops and two Liberian militias drove back a rebel National Patriotic Front of Liberia assault on northern Monrovia yesterday. Ecomog sources in Monrovia said troops of Charles Taylor's NPFL took hostage three Liberians and a Dutchman working for the UN Development Programme. They were seized on Thursday and accused at Mr Taylor's headquarters at Gbarnga, central Liberia, of spying for Ecomog.