by Student Union of Yugoslavia <suyu@infosky.net>
"He dropped his bomb in good faith, as you would expect of a trained pilot from a democratic country."
[Apr 16, 1999] - NATO has admitted that it bombed a refugee convoy on Wednesday, leaving Kosovo refugees dead after a pilot mistook the civilian vehicles for Yugoslav military units. Nato's admission came a day after more than 70 refugees were reported to have been killed in at least two attacks in the south of the province.
At first the Pentagon suggested that Serb forces had attacked convoys of refugees - it later withdrew the statement.
A NATO officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were two convoys on the same road. Two NATO planes attacked - one hit the military convoy, the other struck at what he called a "mixed convoy." After this incident all NATO planes returned to the base safely, he said.
According to Serbian Media Centre in Pristina the convoy of refugees was returning to their homes when NATO planes attacked it. They say there were no military vehicles nearby.
The prodemocratic forces in Serbia hope that all of those who are responsible for ethnical cleansing in Kosovo will be convicted. However, we wonder if the same will happen to NATO officers responsible for civilian casualties (regardless of nationality) during the "bombing campaign".
[posted Sun, Apr 18, 1999]
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