YUGOSLAVIA/MACEDONIA: KFOR PEACEKEPERS IN KOSOVO HAVE SHOT AND INJURED TWO GUNMEN AT THE BORDER WITH MACEDONIA

Record ID: 350436

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA/MACEDONIA: KFOR PEACEKEPERS IN KOSOVO HAVE SHOT AND INJURED TWO GUNMEN AT THE BORDER WITH MACEDONIA
  • Date: 7th March 2001
  • Summary: DEBELDE, KOSOVO, NEAR YUGOSLAV/MACEDONIAN BORDER (MARCH 7, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV/SV OF U.S. K-FOR CHECKPOINT AROUND DEBELDE (2 SHOTS) 0.11 2. SLV OF U.S. K-FOR SOLDIERS BY CHECKPOINT 0.16 3. SV/CU OF U.S. K-FOR SOLDIER ON VEHICLE (3 SHOTS) 0.27 4. SV/MCU/LV/SLV VARIOUS OF U.S. K-FOR ACTIVITY (6 SHOTS) 1.03 5.
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2001 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DEBELDE, KOSOVO, NEAR YUGOSLAV/MACEDONIAN BORDER
  • City:
  • Country: Yugoslavia
  • Reuters ID: LVAD2D00HCLQLM3G9FHN6VRCE1SI
  • Story Text: United States KFOR peacekeepers in Kosovo have shot at
    and injured two gunmen at the border with Macedonia.

    The KFOR soliders reportedly opened fire after a group of
    six unidentified armed men were spotted at Kosovo's border
    with Macedonia.

    A KFOR spokesman said the gunmen had acted in a
    threatening manner. In reposnse KFOR soldiers opened fire,
    injuring two and arresting another two. Two other gunmen
    managed to escape, KFOR sources said.



    Wednesday's (March 7) incident was the first armed
    engagement between KFOR and gunmen, suspected to be Kosovo
    Albanian separatists, since the peacekeepers started
    reinforcing the border last week. KFOR did not reveal the
    gunmen's ethnicity.

    "This morning in the search operation in the village of
    Mijak, four armed people were seen", said Major Marshall of
    U.S. K-FOR. "When they (the armed men) pointed their weapons,
    K-FOR soldiers (of the Multinational Brigade East) responded.

    They (K-FOR) wounded two, then arrested two (one wounded and
    one not wounded)"
    Marshall said the other two had escaped but called for the
    wounded one to come to the K-FOR hospital for treatment and an
    end to the violence.

    The incident occurred around 9 a.m. (0800 GMT). The
    escapees fled in the direction of the village of Tanusevci
    where there have been skirmishes between ethnic Albanian
    gunmen and Macedonian forces for the past 10 days.

    The situation around the border town of Debelde appeared
    relatively calm on Wednesday morning, with K-FOR patrolling
    and carrying out checks of people in the area. One man was
    arrested. K-FOR said he was carrying an UCK (KLA) emblem.


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