[ALBSA-Info] Macedonian soldier dead, two hurt on Kosovo border

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Macedonian soldier dead, two hurt on Kosovo border

SKOPJE, March 4 (Reuters) - A Macedonian soldier was killed and two were 
badly injured near a village occupied by ethnic Albanian gunmen on the border 
with Kosovo on Sunday morning, the Defence Ministry said. 

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has 
stepped up its observation of the border area since a firefight between 
gunmen in the village and Macedonian security forces a week ago, said the 
soldiers' vehicle appeared to have hit a mine. 

OSCE monitors on the same road were safe and trying to leave, an OSCE 
spokesman said. From where they were they could hear firing but could not 
tell where it was coming from. 

The ministry said the injured men's condition was bad. 

"One is certainly dead, two are in very bad condition, as far as I know. I 
have no full information yet," said a spokesman. He said the incident 
happened at 10 a.m. (0900 GMT). 

The OSCE spokesman said the reports he had received so far were confused, but 
that the mine seemed to have appeared on the road overnight because the OSCE 
had been on it on Saturday. 

He said another report said one of the three soldiers had been hit by sniper 
fire, stressing that the information was unconfirmed. 

"All sides are working on evacuating these people. There's been a discussion 
about using a helicopter but it is a vulnerable location, and it might be 
shot at if it lands there." 

A police source said later that one of the injured had been taken to the 
military hospital in the Macedonian capital Skopje. 

Macedonia has moved army reinforcements to the border area over the past few 
days to try to cut off the village. 

They have threatened to use force against the gunmen, and have appealed to 
NATO to help tackle a situation they say threatens Macedonian and European 
stability. 

NATO has said it will do what it can to help and urged the Macedonians not to 
use force -- fearing that this could exacerbate the situation and threaten 
relations between Macedonia's Slav majority and large Albanian minority. 

On Saturday, a spokesman for the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force in Kosovo 
said U.S. soldiers in Kosovo had stepped up patrols to stop guerrillas or 
supplies crossing into Macedonia.