NATO force to pull out of Macedonia

An operation involving nearly 4,000 NATO troops collecting weapons from Albanian rebels in Macedonia ends today.

An operation involving nearly 4,000 NATO troops collecting weapons from Albanian rebels in Macedonia ends today.

The pull-out from the Balkan republic will begin tomorrow after what was being hailed as a successful 30-day mission.

Weaponry collected in Operation Essential Harvest has significantly exceeded the target set by NATO of 3,300, the Ministry of Defence said.

Troops will withdraw from Macedonia over the next few days and will be replaced by a civilian observer mission led by the Organisation on Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

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Around 4,000 Nato troops were involved in the operation to collect arms from the Albanian National Liberation Army. Britain had the highest contingent with 1,860.

Operation Essential Harvest followed a peace deal brokered in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, in August after months of bloody fighting between government forces and Albanian rebels.

PA