Military

BALKANS

¨         NATO-led peacekeepers said on Friday information gathered in an operation against the support network of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic would help them snatch one of the world's most wanted men.   The SFOR said it had withdrawn the last of hundreds of soldiers, more then 100 vehicles and over a dozen helicopters which had been deployed in and around the remote village of Celebici in eastern Bosnia.  SFOR commander U.S. General John Sylvester said the two-day operation had shed more light on the network allowing the former Bosnian Serb leader to stay at large. Karadzic is believed to move often between different hideouts with the help of allies. "This week's operation...has drawn us a better picture of his movements, the help he gets and those who help him," Sylvester said in a statement, adding SFOR verified the existing information and gained some new one.  "Now we'll decide when and where to exploit this new information," he said.(Reuters 1525 160802 Aug 02 GMT)

¨         The recent detention in Kosovo of a group of ethnic Albanians was aimed at preventing the group from destabilizing upcoming elections in Macedonia (sic) , a NATO official said Friday. "We have arrested people who were trying to set up some extremist groups in order to hinder the electoral process in Macedonia (sic) ," Lt. Gen. Marcel Valentin, commander of NATO's peacekeeping force in Kosovo, told The Associated Press. Valentin said he had ordered the detentions earlier this week of six individuals considered a threat to regional stability. The group, according to Valentin, was comprised of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo and Macedonia (sic)  and used Kosovo "as a safe haven to try to achieve their goals." Officials did not elaborate on the identity of those detained or the acts they allegedly committed. (AP161733 Aug 02 GMT)

EUROPE-IRAQ

¨         A Pentagon adviser said on Sunday the United States would not need the support of European allies except Britain to launch an attack against Iraq, but a top Republican senator described international support as important.  Pentagon adviser Richard Perle said the Bush administration would rely on help from Britain and dissident groups within Iraq, but would not expect other NATO allies to participate if the United States were to launch an attack. "Our European allies are just not relevant to this. And the one of some importance, the United Kingdom, is, I believe, going to be with us," Perle said on ABC's "This Week." "The rest of the Europeans prefer to look the other way or cut deals with Saddam or buy him off in various ways," said Perle, chairman of the Pentagon's Defense Policy Board, an advisory panel.  In contrast to Perle, Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar said it was important that the United States have the support of its NATO allies for any successful action in Iraq. Winning the support of those allies, Russia and key Middle Eastern countries, he said, was going to require some "heavy lifting." "The fact is, some robust diplomacy is required now," Lugar, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said on NBC's "Meet the Press." "These coalitions don't happen by chance or by press release."(Reuters 0004 190802 Aug 02 GMT)

¨         The United States has sent its Berlin ambassador to query Germany's policy on Iraq after German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed strong opposition to a U.S. attack there.  A German government spokesman said on Saturday that U.S. ambassador Daniel Coats had talked to German officials this week. "There was a discussion with senior officials from the chancellor's office. U.S. ambassador Coats was again informed about Germany's position on Iraq," the spokesman said.   A U.S. official confirmed a meeting had taken place last week between Coats and German officials but declined comment on the subject. He said Coats did not speak with Schroeder himself.(Reuters 1638 170802 Aug 02 GMT)

ISAF

¨         Two British soldiers died of gunshot wounds in Afghanistan on Saturday in an incident that did not involve enemy fire, their commanding officer said. Colonel Simon Levey, commanding officer of British forces in Kabul, said no other person was thought to have been involved in the incident at Kabul Airport. He gave no further details. "It is with deepest regret that I have to inform you of a tragic event which occurred shortly before one o'clock this morning (2030 GMT on Friday)," Levey said in a statement. "As a result of the this incident, two British service personnel have been confirmed dead."   Levey said an investigation was underway but it was known the British troops were not hit by enemy fire -- suggesting an altercation, an accident or suicide. "What I can tell you is that no other person or party is thought to have been involved in this incident and I can also confirm that both personnel suffered fatal gun shot wounds," he said.(Reuters 1152 170802 Aug 02 GMT)