Posted on 03/18/2004 6:08:13 AM PST by Eurotwit
Norwegian soldiers serving with NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo were among those injured in one of the bloodiest days of unrest since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. Twenty Norwegians were hurt in rioting and violence that left at least 10 dead and hundreds injured.
Fighting broke out in every major city in the province between Serbs and Albanians. Ethnic Albanians blamed Serbs for the drownings of two children, and set Serb homes, churches and cars on fire.
Norwegian soldiers took part in the fighting Wednesday night. Officer Nils Hanheide told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that one local man was killed when the Norwegian soldiers opened fire against a car that tried to break through a blockade.
Eight of those killed around Kosovo were Albanians. Several French soldiers also were injured in the fighting.
The Norwegian soldiers were fighting south of the capital of Pristina. Several hundred Norwegians were sent there to stop Albanians who tried to make their way to a Serbian town.
Aid workers tied to Norwegian Church Aid (Kirkens Noedhjelp) closed two offices in Mitrovica because of the unrest. One staffer reported the situation was tense, and Serbians she'd talked with feared the Albanians would storm their homes and set them on fire.
The breakdown of law and order indicated how UN and NATO forces have failed to snuff out ethnic hatreds and usher in reconciliation.
Aftenposten English Web Desk Nina Berglund/AP
All our guys need to come home and let the Serbian Army put down the "unrest" in their OWN country. The harder the put-down the better. You cannot bargain with muslim terrorists.
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