Soldiers storm hills above Tetovo to flush out rebels

The Macedonian army stormed Albanian rebel positions in the hills around the country's second city yesterday, peppering civilian areas with indiscriminate fire in an operation likely only to increase resentment against the government among the Albanian minority. There are fears that the violence could ascend into civil war.

The Macedonian army stormed Albanian rebel positions in the hills around the country's second city yesterday, peppering civilian areas with indiscriminate fire in an operation likely only to increase resentment against the government among the Albanian minority. There are fears that the violence could ascend into civil war.

Villagers cowered in their basements as about 200 infantry troops, led by two tanks, advanced into Gajre, the first rebel-held village. Witnesses said the soldiers moved slowly through the village, carpeting the area with gunfire. As the troops moved on, some of the villagers emerged and tried to put out the fires in their barns.

The Macedonian authorities claimed they had recaptured all rebel positions in the hills last night. But witnesses said the guerrillas had only moved a short distance into the woods.

Crowds of terrified refugees, most of them women and children, were seen fleeing the villages. The Macedonian authorities had warned civilians to leave the area, but most were said to have ignored the advice.

In the city below, five civilians, four men and a woman, were wounded when soldiers sprayed a taxi with gunfire in an unprovoked attack. A Swedish photographer who witnessed the incident said reports that the civilians had opened fire on a military position were unfounded. The soldiers appeared to have opened fire as the taxi raced out of the town centre past their position at the entrance to the road leading into the hills, up which the army was advancing.

The Albanian rebels alleged that at least 10 civilians were killed in the villages as the army advanced, but it was impossible to verify the claim as firefights raged on the hills and rounds landed inside Tetovo, around the city's main Albanian cemetery.

"We have been trying for several days to get up there [to the villages]" said Amanda Williamson of the International Committee of the Red Cross. "We are increasingly concerned about the plight of civilians, especially when we can see houses burning."

The military onslaught began at 7am local time (6am GMT) as helicopter gunships attacked rebel positions. Soldiers ordered reporters out of rooms in a hotel on the front line to set up sniper positions. As the morning wore on, soldiers ran, crouched, through the town, taking up positions behind buildings and ordering residents to leave. Armoured personnel carriers charged through the streets, sending civilian cars swerving out of their way.

This was the onslaught the Macedonian authorities have been promising for almost a week. It was unclear if they had been hesitating for fear that their military was not capable of forcing the rebels out of the hills, or because the international community was urging restraint. There was little sign of restraint yesterday, as the fires burned on the hills around Tetovo. The operation is bound to be popular with the Macedonian majority population. There have been angry demonstrations in Skopje by Macedonians demanding guns to fight the rebels, and calling on the government to do more.

But yesterday's onslaught was not without risk. The Macedonian authorities hailed it as a success - but then they were always going to. In fact, the army appeared to be struggling for much of the day. At one point several troops returned to Tetovo, seemingly in retreat, and an armoured vehicle was seen limping into town shot to pieces. Whether the army has truly succeeded in forcing the rebels back from the hills was yet to become clear last night - and it remained to be seen if they could hold onto captured positions after dark fell.

The firing in civilian areas and the fleeing Albanian villagers will probably only further inflame Albanian passions. The offensive looks likely to provide one more division between Macedonia's two communities.