Subject: Yugoslav soldier said shot by Albanian separatists
Date: Sat, 20 Jan 2001 9:20:10 PST
From: C-afp@... (AFP)
Organization: Copyright 2001 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
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BUJANOVAC, Yugoslavia, Jan 20 (AFP) - A Yugoslav soldier was
injured during an exchange of fire with armed ethnic Albanian
separatists in the south of Serbia, local Serbian sources said here
on Saturday.
"Albanian terrorists opened fire on a Yugoslav army patrol,
injuring a soldier, 23-year-old Drazen Radovanac, who is not in a
critical state," the Bujanovac Serbian press centre said, adding
that the incident occurred on Friday.
According to the report, the army returned fire in the incident,
which occurred in the village of Rajinac, near the town of Presevo.
The region is home to an ethnic Albanian majority and has in
recent months been the scene of armed clashes between government
troops and militant Albanian separatists calling themselves the
Presevo, Medvedja et Bujanovac Liberation Army.
The group says it is fighting to make its region part of an
independent Kosovo, rather than part of the Yugoslav province of
Serbia as at present.
On Friday Serbian police said that they had uncovered a
"terrorist group" in the area when they seized 30 kilograms (66
pounds) of explosives, weapons and ammunition.