Soldiers to patrol capital as Taylor stalls

WEST African peacekeepers were to mount their first patrol of war-ravaged Monrovia as President Charles Taylor appeared to stall for time before going into exile in Nigeria.

Two days after arriving at the west African country's main airport outside of the Liberian capital, the force known as ECOMIL has yet to deploy in the starving city, which has been under rebel siege for two months.

The United States, which has 2,500 Marines on ships off the coast, moved closer to sending troops into the west African country, with plans to dispatch a military liaison team to Monrovia, defence officials said late yesterday.