Liberia peace force reaches rebel towns
United Nations peacekeeping troops in Liberia have advanced into two major rebel-held towns for the first time. Some 7,000 UN troops have helped end 14 years of conflict in Liberia but until last week, they had mostly remained in the capital, Monrovia. After the peacekeepers had secured the towns of Buchanan and Gbarnga, aid agencies would be able to deliver badly needed help, a UN official said. Most of Liberia is still too unsafe for refugees to go home, aid workers say. Full Story