PRISTINA — Peacekeepers said Wednesday they arrested 78 people over the past 24 hours in their efforts to bring order to Kosovo and discovered two rocket launchers in the flashpoint town of Mitrovica.

Maj. Jan Joosten, a spokesman for the KFOR international peacekeeping force, told a news briefing the 78 had been detained across the province for a variety of offenses.

He said 60 were arrested in the southwestern town of Gnjilane Tuesday after U.S. forces found weapons during a search of a building. Some of those in the building wore Kosovo Liberation Army uniforms, Joosten said.

He said U.S. forces found about 15 small-caliber weapons and some batons, clubs and surplus military uniforms. Fifty of those arrested were released later in the day, while 10 were taken to a nearby U.S. military base, Camp Bondsteel.

The KLA, which fought a 16-month guerrilla campaign against Serbian rule in Kosovo, is in a disarmament and demilitarization process.

Its members are meant to be turning in weapons and are only allowed to wear uniforms in special assembly areas.

In Mitrovica, where tension between ethnic Albanians and Serbs is especially high and scuffles with French peacekeepers have broken out over the past few days, four explosions were heard Tuesday night.

"A patrol found two 66-mm rocket launchers. The investigation is still ongoing,'' Joosten said.

The northern town has been divided since KFOR entered Kosovo. Local Serbs have grouped together in one area and French soldiers have been charged with preventing the situation from getting out of control as Albanians demand access.

Albanians have kicked, pushed and spat at the soldiers and thrown stones and tin cans at them.

Joosten said several fights between Serbs and Albanians broke out after Tuesday night's explosions.

He said French forces also sealed off the town's main bridge to prevent about 200 Albanians entering the Serb area, where about 200 Serbs were waiting. The situation returned to normal after a couple of hours, Joosten said.