NATO aircraft hit civilian vehicles by mistake

Alliance blames Milosevic for deaths in Kosovo

April 15, 1999

Web posted at: 12:04 p.m. EDT (1604 GMT)

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- Two F-16 pilots bombed what they thought was a military convoy on day 22 of NATO airstrikes on Yugoslavia, but apparently struck vehicles carrying ethnic Albanian refugees instead, NATO said Thursday.

Yugoslav officials had said Wednesday that NATO planes fired on two columns of ethnic Albanians in two separate attacks. Serb authorities say that between 64 and 85 people died in the attacks and that 25 were injured. NATO has not confirmed any number of casualties.

In a taped recording played for journalists at a NATO briefing, one unidentified pilot who flew the mission in southwestern Kosovo said he spotted what appeared to be a military convoy in the vicinity of several burning villages.

"I make a decision at that point that these are the people responsible for burning down the villages that I've seen so far," the pilot said."I roll in, put my system on the lead vehicle and execute a laser-guided bomb attack on that vehicle, destroying the lead vehicle." ( 704 K/45 sec. AIFF or WAV sound) ( 896 K/60 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Low on fuel, the pilot left the area, telling the crew flying in to replace him what he'd seen. That team also carried out an attack, the pilot said.

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said NATO now believes the lead convoy vehicle struck by the first pilot was a civilian vehicle. He said that NATO "deeply regrets" the loss of civilian lives in the attack, and stressed that the alliance was taking "every precaution" to prevent such tragic occurrences.

"There has never been a military operation in history with so many stringent measures taken to minimize harm," he said.

Reporter views scene

A CNN reporter taken to the area Thursday said he saw wrecked tractors, burned villages and six bodies, including one of a child, in a morgue.

Serb authorities took CNN's Allessio Vinci to a 30-mile (48-kilometer) section of the road between Djakovica and Prizren where they said four attacks on convoys of refugees had occurred.

Vinci said at one site, three tractor and a minibus had been destroyed. "Personal belongings are scattered around the area here. There are two huge craters, one on the road and one nearby," said Vinci.

One of the refugees who said he was on the road told Vinci in the presence of Serb authorities that the convoy had not been accompanied by Serb military forces or police. He said that at the time of the attack the ethnic Albanians were on their own.

Other refugees told Vinci they had been ordered to leave their village on the border between southern Kosovo and Albania by Serb forces who said there was going to be too much bombing in the area for them to stay.

They said they left and went to Djakovica where Serb forces sent them on to Prizren. The refugees told Vinci, in the presence of soldiers, that the army was being "cooperative" in attempting to move them away from the battle zone.

Cook: Serbs cry 'crocodile tears'

On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook accused Milosevic and the Yugoslav government of crying "crocodile tears" over a conflict they started.

"I have to say that I will not accept the criticism that has been emanating from Belgrade from the very people who organize the mass ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, who have caused thousands of civilian deaths in Kosovo, and who have displaced from their homes hundreds of thousands of people in Kosovo," Cook said. "How dare they produce crocodile tears for people killed in the conflict for which they themselves are responsible."

Cook said it is important to keep in mind why the civilians were in the convoy in the first place. "I would like to ask President Milosevic about the refugees in that convoy. Would he like to remind us why they were refugees in the first place, what was it they were fleeing from, where were they being taken?" asked Cook.

Shea said the incident would not hamper NATO's operation in Yugoslavia.

"There has been no letup at all in the air campaign," said Shea. "Last night for example, despite some anti-aircraft artillery fire, we engaged very successfully a large number of targets throughout Yugoslavia, including, of course, Kosovo, a controller reporting center, ammunition depot, military airport at Pristina, army barracks at Pec, fuel production storage facilities in two places, bridges, lines of communication, an airfield at Nis, and so on ... this will go on and this will succeed."

Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, Belgrade, Pristina, Kursumlija, Krusevac, Kragujevac, Cacak, Uzice, Valjevo, Nis and Kraljevo were all hit by NATO airplanes, according to Serb television.

Bodies at the scene of the attack





Annan endorses call for peace deal

On the diplomatic front, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan stressed Thursday that the United Nations should play a role in "legitimizing" a military presence in Kosovo and endorsed Russia's call for a peace deal.

Annan's comments came as Germany issued a new proposal calling for a pause in the bombing if Yugoslavia agreed to NATION conditions -- including an international peacekeeping force.

NATO called the German plan a "food-for-thought paper," but did not immediately endorse it.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, president of the European Union, said the EU ministers would push for a U.N. Security Council resolution incorporating the German proposal.

Annan called for all sides to work with Russia toward a solution. Russia strongly opposes the NATO airstrikes, which began March 24 when Yugoslavia refused to halt its crackdown on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.

"If the international community is going to make progress on this issue, I think it's essential we all come together, and work with the Russians who are playing a very constructive role, and I'm in touch with them," Annan said.

NATO requirements for a cease-fire include withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo and the safe return of several hundred thousand refugees forced to flee the fighting.

Correspondents Richard Roth, Allessio Vinci and Catherine Bond contributed to this report.