Rebels and army artillery exchange fire in Vaksince.

(25 May 2001)

Vaksince - 25 May 2001
1. Wide of village
2. Wide shot burning houses at distance in the village
3. Various explosions - audio
4 Wide shot smoke rising from house
5. Macedonian APC driving along the road to Vaksince
6. Macedonian tanks firing from the hillside
7. Wide shot shells landing in village
8. Wide shot Mosque compound hit by shelling (Macedonian forces believe Albanians are hiding in shelters beneath Mosque)
9. Smoke rising behind the Mosque
10. Macedonian attack helicopter flying over the village
11. Helicopter swoop down towards roofs of houses
12. Helicopter firing at village
13. Helicopter dropping flares
14. Various helicopters flying over Vaksince
15. Wide shot smoke rising from village

Tabanovce (main base of Macedonian army), 25 May
16. Macedonian police special forces in village
17. Special forces on road

STORYLINE:

Rebels and army artillery gunners exchanged fire on Friday, as government forces moved toward the centre of a northern insurgent stronghold.

Dozens were reported killed.

The move on Vaksince was part of a major government offensive unleashed on Thursday meant to push the rebels out of a string of highland villages close to Macedonia's border with Kosovo.

Puffs of smoke rose from the centre of the village, marking detonations of army artillery shells close to the mosque, and heavy machine gunfire punctuated the boom of the cannons.

The insurgents responded with submachine gun and other small-arms fire.

Two helicopter gunships swooped low, their rotors clattering, fired a string of missiles and let loose bursts from 20 -mm cannons, before flying off.

Government tanks then started firing.

By noon, the mosque's slender tower was toppled, and government troops were firing mortar rounds - normal procedure ahead of an infantry onslaught.

Small arms fire was heard from neighboring villages.

The government opposes negotiations with the rebels and rejects including them in the political process - stances supported by the United States, the European Union and other Macedonian allies opposed to investing the rebels with legitimacy.

The European Union said the rebels had "no place at the negotiating table. NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson rejected the deal in similar language.

Fighting erupted in Macedonia in February.

The guerrillas say they want more rights for ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, who make up as much as a third of the 2 million population.

The government accuses them of trying to grab land and unify it with neighbouring Kosovo, which is also dominated by ethnic Albanians.

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