NATO Dismantles Positions Set Up by Bosnian Hard-Liners
NATO-led troops Tuesday dismantled checkpoints set up in this northwest Bosnian town by police loyal to Bosnian Serb strongman Radovan Karadzic.
The move was prompted by a dispute between police units loyal to Bosnian Serb President Biljana Plavsic and those supporting Karadzic that broke into the open over the weekend.
NATO forces intervened Sunday to keep the two sides apart, removed checkpoints set up by Karadzic loyalists in Banja Luka--where Plavsic is headquartered--overnight, and put more troops on the streets Tuesday to improve security.
Also Tuesday, the newly appointed police chief in Banja Luka was arrested by hard-line Bosnian Serb state security men but released after refusing their demands he resign, a senior police officer said.
“Milan Sutilovic was ordered to sign a document on his own suspension, which Sutilovic refused to do, and, after being held for 30 minutes, he was released,” the new acting head of state security in Banja Luka, Predrag Ceranic, said.
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