INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSAULTED IN STOLAC

SARAJEVO/STOLAC, Dec 11 (Hina) - International Police Task Force (IPTF) troops were assaulted in Stolac (south of Mostar) on Thursday night, after which they were accompanied by SFOR troops to Mostar, UN spokeswoman in Sarajevo, Kelly Moore, said Friday. A hostile group of people, some armed with bats, attacked international police officers when they attempted to search a local police station. Twenty-four IPTF members have been deployed in Stolac since the start of the week to supervise the work of local police and to prevent frequent incidents aimed against Bosniak (Moslem) returnees. In line with their mandate, IPTF officers were on Thursday to conduct a search of the facilities in which a police station is located, but local police prevented their entrance claiming the part of the building was the property of the Defence Ministry. The IPTF requested assistance from the Stabilisation Force and succeeded in conducting the search of the premises, finding unregistered weapons and ammunition. Soon after, a group of civilians gathered in front of the police station blocking access to SFOR vehicles to the building in an attempt to prevent the compensation of the illegal weaponry. International police suffered blows by batons and were threatened that the building in which they were located would be set ablaze. The IPTF were given five minutes to evacuate the premises. Moore said the Stolac police, with the exception of certain individuals, did nothing to prevent the incident, and added that an special inquiry would be conducted. Interior Minister of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Dragan Mandic, on Thursday dismissed the Stolac police chief. After the situation had calmed down, IPTF members gradually began returning to Stolac and will resume their mission, Moore said. (hina) lml