Macedonian Forces Target Rebels

SKOPJE, Macedonia — Macedonian forces backed by helicopter gunships launched an offensive Thursday against ethnic Albanian rebels after two soldiers were killed and another was kidnapped in an ambush near the border with Yugoslavia.

The rebels were holding as many as 2,000 villagers as “human shields” against government troops and had taken up positions in the upper floors of houses in villages near the city of Kumanovo, army spokesman Blagoja Markovski said.

The Defense Ministry said Macedonian forces had launched an operation to drive rebels out of the area. Officials asked residents of 11 villages near Kumanovo to evacuate ahead of the assault.

Military spokesman Georgi Trendafilov said the two soldiers were slain and the third was kidnapped in the village of Vaksince, about three miles from the border.