TWO SFOR ARMOURED CARRIIERS ATTACKED IN MOSTAR OVERNIGHT

SARAJEVO/MOSTAR, Feb 21 (Hina) - SFOR members were attacked overnight in Mostar while they were carrying out regular patrols in the vicinity of Spanish Square, the Sarajevo base of the Stabilisation Force (SFOR) reported on Friday. A spokesman for the SFOR, Tony White, said that unidentified attackers had fired two rockets from 64-milimetre rocket launchers at two armoured personnel carriers of the Spanish SFOR troops. One SFOR armoured carrier was hit at its front and damaged seriously, but no one of the crew sustained injuries. According to Major White, an SFOR quick-reaction unit was sent to the scene and tried to find perpetrators but did not manage. It was established that rockets had been fired from a distance less than 100 metres of the scene of the attack and used launcher canisters had been found at the place from where the attack had been carried out. The SFOR spokesman said on Friday that SFOR did not open fire to respond to the attack, as it was launched from a populated quarter and as there was risk of causing casualties among innocent people. Asked by a reporter from which side the attack had been launched, the spokesman White said that rockets had been fired from the western part of the town. On Friday a spokesman for SFOR multinational division in South-East Sector in Mostar, Mike Fabro, announced that an official report of SFOR would be released during Friday afternoon. According to reports available to the Sarajevo headquarters of the international police force, police commands from both parts of Mostar had reported that shooting from infantry arms had been registered in Mostar overnight. In the western part of Mostar a discotheque 'Africa' was blown up, but it is believed that this was result of the showdown of local gangs. On Friday morning western Mostar police reported that at about 35 minutes after the midnight a detonation echoed long near the high school by Spanish Square in the downtown Mostar, caused by explosive devices thrown from the eastern part of the town. There were no injuries. The same sources said a barrage of fire had been opened from the eastern part of the town at a western Mostar police patrol near Spanish Square overnight. Western Mostar policemen did not respond, and none of them was injured. (hina) mm mš 211425 MET feb 97