US troops in Kosovo shot and wounded a suspected recruiter for ethnic Albanian guerrillas to prevent him escaping, the NATO-led KFOR peace force said today.
"Yesterday afternoon a peacekeeping patrol stopped an Albanian male suspected of being a recruiter for the guerrilla group operating (across the provincial boundary) in southern Serbia," KFOR's Major Axel Jandesek said.
When US peacekeepers tried to take the man away, he shoved his way free and tried to get away, Major Jandesek said.
KFOR said the incident occurred in Vitina, 60 km (40 miles) southeast of the Kosovo provincial capital Pristina and close to the boundary with Serbia proper.
Major Jandesek said the man had been taken to the US forces' Camp Bondsteel for medical treatment after which he would remain in custody for questioning and further investigation.
He said the man was a suspected member of the so-called National Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, known by its Albanian language initials of UCPMB.
Serbia's Presevo Valley has been the scene of clashes between Serbian security forces and the UCPMB for more than a year. Several dozen people have been killed.
