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http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters04-04-022248.asp?reg=EUROPE Albanian gunmen clash again in western Macedonia Reuters -Witnesses told Reuters an unidentified group of gunmen attacked a cafe in the centre of Tetovo with hand-held rocket launchers and heavy machineguns after midnight. The cafe and several vehicles were almost completely destroyed, they said. TETOVO, Macedonia, April 4 � A fierce gun battle broke out early on Thursday between ethnic Albanians in this city in western Macedonia near where rival rebel factions clashed a week ago, police and witnesses said. Witnesses told Reuters an unidentified group of gunmen attacked a cafe in the centre of Tetovo with hand-held rocket launchers and heavy machineguns after midnight. The cafe and several vehicles were almost completely destroyed, they said. Surrounding buildings were riddled with bullet holes. Locals said they suspected the fight was between ethnic Albanian guerrilla factions just like a deadly clash in the village of Mala Recica, on the outskirts of Tetovo, on March 25. A senior Western diplomat said there were no confirmed reports of wounded or dead. A doctor from the Tetovo hospital said they had not admitted any injured but did not rule out that there had been casualties. Police confirmed the incident and said state security forces were not involved. A week ago two gunmen were killed and five bystanders hurt in a shootout between gunmen from the officially disbanded National Liberation Army (NLA) and a splinter group. This was the first major violence in Tetovo, the main city in the ethnic Albanian dominated area of Macedonia, since last year's six-month insurgency in the name of better civil rights ended in August. Tetovo saw heavy fighting in the uprising. Tensions remain high in Macedonia as it implements a Western-brokered peace accord under which the rebels agreed to disband. Areas they seized remain volatile and often lawless as Macedonian police are only gradually returning. The diplomat said it was not yet clear who was involved in Thursday's fighting and Western monitors had been sent to assess the scene. ''It seems that it was related to criminal activity, and I certainly hope it has nothing to do with the previous incident,'' the diplomat said. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/ --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
