U.S. Peacekeepers Don't Travel Alone
By ANNE GEARAN Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The commander of U.S. forces in Kosovo said Tuesday he is surprised that no American has been killed by hostile action while trying to keep the month-old peace. The danger from mines and snipers remains too high to travel alone, he said.
``There is never a soldier by himself, never a soldier out of sight, out of earshot of another soldier,'' said Brig. Gen. John Craddock.
Land mines were the biggest worry at the start of the Balkan peacekeeping operation, and they remain a threat, Craddock said by telephone from Kosovo. He spoke to reporters who were at the Pentagon.
But sniper attacks specifically targeting Americans have become another major problem. Many of the shooters are thugs who may want to loot or cause other havoc and who resent the presence of American peacekeepers, Craddock said.
``I think that we are moving into areas where we're threatening their livelihood, and what we are doing is we're drawing that fire,'' Craddock said.
Other than in traffic accidents, no American soldier has been seriously hurt in Kosovo since an international peacekeeping force began moving in last month. Two British soldiers died when they handled unexploded bombs that had been dropped during the 78-day NATO air war. A U.S. soldier was killed July 4 in Macedonia when he was struck by a civilian truck in a traffic mishap.
As the bombing drew to a close, U.S. military and NATO officials warned repeatedly that peace might be just as dangerous as war and that Americans on the ground could be targets for disgruntled Serbs or others unhappy about the war's outcome.
Asked whether he was surprised at the American safety record so far, Craddock replied, ``Quite frankly, yes.''
He said about 6,500 of a planned 7,000-member U.S. force is in place in the American-controlled sector of Kosovo. Soldiers from Poland, Greece and Russia are also patrolling in the U.S. sector, he said.
Kosovo is a rebellious province of Serb-led Yugoslavia. NATO began bombing in March to try to expel Serb government forces blamed for ethnically motivated mayhem in Kosovo, and for the exodus of ethnic Albanians from the province.
The international peacekeeping force was part of the deal when Yugoslav
President Slobodan Milosevic agreed to a peace plan last month.
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