Posted on 01/05/2006 12:20:57 PM PST by Flavius
ROGATICA, Bosnia, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The wife of a Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect was killed in a shoot-out when European Union (EUFOR) peacekeepers moved in to arrest her husband at their home on Thursday, doctors in Bosnia said.
Suspect Dragomir Abazovic and the couple's 11-year-old son were also shot and injured in the morning raid in a village near Rogatica in eastern Bosnia and there had been an exchange of gunfire, police said.
"Rada Abazovic died of kidney and abdominal wounds," a doctor in Foca hospital told Reuters by telephone. Hospital officials said the husband was treated for serious head injuries.
Bosnian Serb President Dragan Cavic condemned the operation by the peacekeeping force, which took over from NATO-led troops in 2005, and urged EUFOR commander Major-General Gian Marco Chiarini to investigate the incident and find the perpetrators.
"This is the EUFOR's most severe degradation and (represents) a complete destruction of confidence in its force. It is tragic that the result of their operation should be the death of a wife of an alleged suspect and the injury of his young son," Cavic said.
EUFOR said in a statement the operation was conducted in accordance with a warrant issued in 1999 by the Sarajevo cantonal court for Abazovic's arrest for crimes in the Rogatica area during the 1992-95 ethnic war between Serbs, Bosnian Muslims and Croats.
It said Abazovic started first to shoot at the troops and subsequently injured himself.
"As EUFOR troops were deploying at the location, EUFOR troops were fired upon. They fired back in self-defence," the statement said.
Bullet-riddled EUFOR jeeps stood outside the Abazovic home. EUFOR soldiers, some wearing Italian Carabinieri insignia and some in civilian clothes, stood silently in front of the house. Some pulled balaclavas over their heads as reporters arrived at the scene.
The troops' hunt for war crimes fugitives has caused accidental casualties in past raids.
In April 2004, the brother of indicted war crimes suspect Milan Lukic was killed when local police raided his house. Lukic was eventually arrested in Argentina.
That same month an explosive charge badly wounded a priest and his son when troops blasted their way into a rectory in the town of Pale while seeking top war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader wanted for genocide.
Italian soldier left and right secure the scene after EUFOR peacekeepers exchanged fire with a suspected Bosnian Serb war crime suspect identified as Dragomir Abazovic, close to Rogatica, about 70 kilometers (40 miles) southeast of the capital, Sarajevo, on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2006. According to the Bosnian Serb police, Abazovic, was wounded and the suspect's wife, Rada, 42, and son Dragoljub, 12, also were injured in the attempt to arrest the war crimes suspected. (AP Photo/Amel Emric)
Imagine the media coverage and headlines if this was done by US soldiers...
European Union peacekeepers....
"Peacekeepers" who shoot at women and children. Sounds Orwellian.
Sort of reminds me of Clinton's exploits. I wonder if the EU is still taking orders from Clinton on Bosnia.
Ah yes, European "peacekeepers". They hide in their bunkers when faced with armed men intent on attacking civilians, and murder women in their homes.
Shooting women and children. These guys could get jobs working for the FBI.
Tell me, is the deceased Christian or muslim?
Never mind. I think that I already know.
If this were to happen in the US, the press would declare it a direct result of order from the White House.
Unless it happened during Clinton, then they would have trotted out "experts" who would claim there was no other way and Janet Reno would let it be known that she was sad about the civilian getting killed.
Rubyesk Ridgeky
A shootout that was apparently started by the wanted man in question.
"That same month an explosive charge badly wounded a priest and his son when troops blasted their way into a rectory in the town of Pale while seeking top war crimes fugitive Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader wanted for genocide."
Please contrast this rectory treatment with our hands-off approach toward "mosques" (a/k/a terrorist armories, pillbozez, CP's) worldwide.
The wanted man was wanted for fighting against a Muslim takeover of his nation.
It's awful what we've permitted to happen to Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
We have facilitated the Islamic takeover.
"Imagine the media coverage and headlines if this was done by US soldiers..."
Exactly. G-damned media weenies.
Serbs are Christians. Billy Bob Cliton had us fighting on the side of the Muslims (KLA - aka the biggest heroin dealers in Europe).
The victims are only Christians, who cares. /sarcasm
Damned European Muslim lovers. Too bad none of the European Christian hating scum werent killed. I'm surprised that the Euros didnt run away or surrender when they actually met resistance. But then again, leftists are always good at killing heavily outnumbered innocent people.
This reminds me of waco.
I hope they never get Karadzic, and maybe he'll come back and put even more muslim invaders underground which is where they belong for invading a Christian country.
OK, I saw photo. So, I see bunch of armed guys in civilian clothes jumoing out from the car and fiering at me and my family. I take AK-47 and soot them lot.
Too bad none of EUFOR were killed.
What if Serbs descide to take vengance. It is Balkand and it is disaster waiting to happen.
Expect worse.
Actualy Europe and EUFOR are doing the same thing what made Serbs go to war. "peacekeepers" are killing people.
If foreighn troops aer in my country killing people, that is occupator, invader, not gdm "peace" soldiers.
Opposite is US troops in Iraq. They don`t hide behind "paecekeeping", they are soldiers in combate, in war against islamis terrorists!
France is couward to sent troops to fight real ear in Iraq, but they are sending troops to kill Christians in Bosnia.
Egalite-Fraternite-Bullshit.
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