MUJAHEDDIN TROOPS EXPECTED TO LEAVE BOSNIA WITHIN DAYS

ZAGREB, Jan 16 (Hina) - Islamic troops fighting on the Bosnian government side should be leaving Bosnia in the next few days, Implementation Force (IFOR) spokesman Colonel Konrad Freytag said in Zagreb on Tuesday. Mujaheddin forces should depart in line with the peace agreement requiring all foreign troops to pull out of Bosnia- Herzegovina, Freytag said, adding that he hoped the agreement would be complied with. According to unofficial estimates, up to 2,000 Mujaheddin troops, mainly from Afganistan and Pakistan, fought on the Moslem side in Bosnia. They had already begun to leave the country but encountered problems when crossing the Croatian border, Freytag said. Croatian authorities thought that they might not leave Croatia, Freytag said without going into detail. He added that the problem was resolved on Sunday and Monday, but that some Mujaheddin stayed in the southern Croatian port of Ploce for identification reasons. IFOR had so far not received any official request for assistance from the Hague-based war crimes tribunal, the commander of IFOR's civilian-military cooperation department, US General Thomas Matthews, said in response to a qestion on whether his department would help shed light on war crimes committed by Bosnian Serbs. He added that such a request would be considered if submitted. (hina) lm jn 161757 MET jan 96