Five arrested by KFOR
soldiers
in connection with deadly bus attackStars and Stripes
PRISTINA,
Kosovo — Five Kosovar Albanian men have been arrested by KFOR soldiers in connection
with the attack on a bus last month that killed 11 Serbs and wounded more than 40.
The men
were taken into custody by British troops from the Multinational Brigade Central, part of
the NATO-led Kosovo Force charged with maintaining peace and security in the province
since 1999.
"The
men detained will be assisting the [United Nations Mission in Kosovo] police in their
inquiries into numerous terrorist incidents within Kosovo and in particular the barbaric
and appalling attack on the bus transporting Serbs from Nis on 16 February,"
Brigadier Hamish Rollo, commander of the sector, said in a statement after the arrest
Monday evening.
A
remote-controlled bomb ripped apart the bus on a road near the border with Serbia about 20
miles north of Pristina.
The bus was
part of a convoy that left the Serb city of Nis in the morning, transporting Serbs into
Kosovo for errands and chores as varied as visiting the grave of a loved one to shopping.
The
twice-weekly shuttle was meant to offer security to Serbs who feel threatened while in
Kosovo even for a few hours.
The convoy
was escorted by a platoon of Swedish soldiers in armored personnel carriers.
In his
statement following the arrests on Monday, Rollo said the investigation and arrests prove
KFOR’s commitment to being a neutral party in the unrest swirling in this part of
Europe.
"It
provides conclusive evidence of both UNMIK’s and KFOR’s absolute and unswerving
commitment to defeat terrorism and extremism and to create an environment here in which
democracy and the rule of law can flourish," he said.
"KFOR
will continue to conduct operations such as these in pursuit of these aims."
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