Albanian Terrorists Warned Following Death of Peace-KeeperSpanish Lieutenant-General Juan Ortuno, the new commander of the international Kosovo peace-keeping forces (KFOR), issued a warning recently against Albanian terrorists following the death of a Russian peace-keeping soldier.Aleksandar Sijomin, the Russian parachutist, missing since April 16, was found dead Wednesday. His fellow soldiers came across his body in Glogovac, about 20 kilometers away from Pristine where Sijomin was in service. "Attacks targeting peace-keeping soldiers will be considered an offense against all peace-keeping troops," said Ortuno, referring to the killing of Sijomin. "Peace-keeping forces will not tolerate attacks on its Russian troops," he stressed. A group of Albanian terrorists reportedly opened fire on Russian troops camped 50 kilometers west of Pristine. The Russian troops fired back in self-defense. The next day, several Albanians surrounded a Russian jeep in the city center of Pristine and tried to turn it over. The peace-keepers fired shots into the air to warn them away. Albanian terrorists have been hostile to the 3,500 Russian troops since last October when they were sent into Kosovo as part of the international peace-keeping force. KFOR has about 45,000 troops -- 39,000 in Kosovo -- and the others mostly in support roles in neighboring countries. Ortuno, the Eurocorps chief, took over as KFOR commander on April 18 as the five-nation European military organization was put in charge for the next six-month rotation at KFOR headquarters. |
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