NATO-led troops have arrested 15 suspected ethnic Albanian guerrillas entering southern Kosovo from Macedonia, a spokesman for the KFOR peacekeeping force said on Wednesday.
The guerrillas had illegally crossed the border from Macedonia with around 50 donkeys and were carrying 12 assault rifles, a rocket launcher and ammunition, KFOR commander Roy Brown said. He said they were bound for Albania.
He said they appeared to be returning from a mission to supply guerrillas on the ground in Macedonia with weapons.
Macedonia has regularly accused Kosovo, which is internationally administered, of fuelling the rebel insurrection by Macedonia's ethnic Albanian rebels which started in February.
It has also accused NATO of helping the rebels and said on Wednesday it was keeping a key border point at Blace closed to both NATO and civilian traffic.
KFOR troops regularly stop donkey convoys and arrest suspected guerrillas in the mountains separating Macedonia and the mainly ethnic-Albanian Serbian province, but most of those detained are released within a few days -- PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
