Polish UN forces come under fire in Kosovo; one critically injured

Fifteen Polish officers from the United Nations Special Police Unit in Kosovo were wounded yesterday when a group of Serbs attacked their outpost with grenades and a machine gun. Thanks to the use of bullet-proof jackets, all the men are alive. Four of them have already left hospital and only one officer, sergeant Jacek Wasowski, is said to be seriously wounded, but is in a stable condition. The Polish outpost, located by the bridge in Kosowska Mitrovica, came under attack at about 3 p.m by a crowd of Serbs protesting against the recent detention of local community members. The officers had to call for support when the crowd started throwing large stones and then grenades before opening fire with a machine gun. The policemen retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets, critically wounding one of the attackers. Later in the evening the Serbs raised barricades in the main city street. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 1) M.K.