11 British Soldiers Reach Safety After Bosnian Blockade
Eleven British soldiers reached safety Friday after spending 24 hours blockaded in a Muslim-held village that came under Serbian fire, killing 16 civilians.
The 11 soldiers arrived in the Serbian town of Banja Koviljaca several hours after leaving the besieged Muslim village of Konjevic Polje.
The British troops had gone to Konjevic Polje on Thursday to act as escort for a U.N. convoy sent to evacuate the wounded.
They were prevented from leaving by crowds of women and children who wanted to ensure all the wounded were evacuated. On Friday, Serbian gunners in the hills around the town began firing at the civilians, killing at least 16.
In Sarajevo, two Serbian militiamen accused of civilian massacres and mass rape went on trial Friday in the first war crimes prosecution of the brutal war.
The two face possible execution by firing squad if convicted.
The trial by a five-man Bosnian military tribunal is virtually certain to end before any concrete steps are taken to initiate a proposed U.N.-backed international war crimes tribunal.
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