- Title: MACEDONIA: MACEDONIAN FORCES CONTINUE OFFENSIVE AGAINST ETHNIC ALBANIAN REBELS.
- Date: 4th May 2001
- Summary: NEAR VAKCINCE, MACEDONIA (MAY 4, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV/TRACK/LV: VARIOUS OF A CONVOY OF MACEDONIAN TROOP REINFORCEMENTS ON THEIR WAY TO THE CONFLICT AREA (3 SHOTS) 0.24 2. LV: WIDE OF VILLAGE OF VAKCINCE 0.30 3. GV: FARMER PUSHING WHEELBARROW IN FIELD 0.36 4. LV/GV: AUDIO MACHINE GUN FIRE/ VARIOUS OF SHELLS EXPLODING/ PLUMES OF SMOKE RISING AND MORE EXPLOSIONS/ DIRECT HIT ON HOUSE (10 SHOTS) 2.34 5. LV: WIDE OF VILLAGE 2.42 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 19th May 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEAR VAKCINCE, MACEDONIA
- Country: Macedonia
- Reuters ID: LVADRP8LC146RXNVDO2TQOXU79R8
- Story Text: Macedonian forces have launched into a second day of an
offensive against ethnic Albanian rebels in mountains
northeast of the capital Skopje.
Reuters reporters some 2. 5 km (1. 5 miles) from the
village of Vakcince saw heavy artillery, mortars and heavy
machinenegun fire hitting the hamlet which was billowing thick
smoke into the sky on Friday (May 4) morning.
There appeared to be machinegun response from the rebels.
Two other villages southwest of Vakcince, Lipkovo and
Slupcane, were also hit by the shelling.
Vakcince appeared to be surrounded by the Macedonian
security forces, furious over the killings of two army
servicemen on Thursday (May 3).
A third soldier had been seized by the guerrillas when
they ambushed an army partol returning from duty on the border
between Macedonia, Kosovo and southern Serbia.
Before the shelling resumed, a convoy carrying between 150
to 200 special police troops entered the neighbouring town of
Kumanovo, accompanied by an armoured personnel carrier.
On Thursday, after appealing to the population to leave
the mountainous area where the rebels are believed to be
hiding, Macedonian forces unleashed helicopter gunships and
artillery fire on Vakcince and areas around it.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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