British soldier killed in mine accident in Kosovo

The soldier, whose name was not released after a family request, died upon arrival at the US medical facility at Camp Bondsteel in east Kosovo, said a spokesman from the British army. He added a full recovery of the two other soldiers who suffered from shock is expected. "The KFOR patrol, part of the British soldiers who were send in the area to reinforce Kosovo's border with Macedonia, was transiting a well-used road, however this incident could not be prevented", said Major Fergus Smith, a spokesman of the British contingent of KFOR.

He added that the explosion left a crater one metre deep and the armoured vehicle was severely damaged. "How a mine could be on a well travelled road is a matter for the investigation to uncover," Major Smith said. However, a KFOR spokesman said Saturday that "there is no indication that the incident was related to extremist activity in the region". The killed British soldier send to four the number of KFOR soldier who died on duty in the province only last week. Two British airmen died last Monday in a KFOR helicopter crash in the town of Kacanik, only few kilometres far from the village of Krivenik where also a British journalist was killed by mortar fire in March. A Russian KFOR soldier was shot dead Wednesday by unknown attackers close to Kosovo's boundary with Serbia.

(sda)