ALBANIA: ARMED MEN OPEN FIRE ON GERMAN HELICOPTER

Описание: (14 Mar 1997) English/Nat

Armed men have opened fire on a German helicopter evacuating civilians from a military airport on the outskirts of the Albanian capital Tirana.

The men, in a convoy of two armoured vehicles, drove around the air base firing as hundreds of German, Swiss and Austrian nationals were waiting to be air lifted to safety Friday.

It's not known who the armed men were.

The incident comes as confusion escalates in the increasingly tense Albanian capital, where army tanks have rolled onto the streets.

A U-S military spokesman said the airlift of foreign nationals had been put on hold.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"We temporarily suspended evacuation today because we're going to allow the Germans to use the zone to evacuate some German citizens. Presently we have about 35 Chinese citizens in this compound and there is yet to make a determination whether they are evacuated tonight or returned to their embassy for evacuation in the morning."
SUPER CAPTION: First Lieutenant Bill Darrenkamp, U.S. military spokesman

Some Italian nationals were also air lifted to safety from Tirana Friday.

The U-N Security Council has issued a statement urging the international community to provide humanitarian assistance and calling for all sides in Albania to work together to ease tensions

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