A YUGOSLAV POW

April 16, 1999
		The Pentagon today acknowledged that the U.S. is holding a Yugoslav army officer as a prisoner of war in neighboring Albania.

Strikes in Yugoslavia Coverage April 8, 1999: Debating the draft. April 6, 1999: Three former secretaries of defense. April 5, 1999: Secretary General Solana April 1, 1999: Defense Secretary Cohen and General Shelton April 1, 1999: Three U.S. soldiers are captured April 1, 1999: Yugoslavia's UN Ambassador March 31, 1999: Should NATO send in ground troops?   DefenseLink NATO US State Department Serbian Ministry of Information

The 20 year-old lieutenant was captured inside Yugoslavia by the Kosovo Liberation Army on April 13. The KLA said he was taken captive outside the town of Junik in eastern Kosovo, approximately five miles from the Albanian border. "There was a battle between the KLA and his unit," of about 20 soldiers, Pentagon spokesman Kenneth Bacon said late Friday. The officer was the only Yugoslav soldier captured in the skirmish. He was taken over the border into Albania that night and was handed over to the authorities on the 14th. The Albanian government then transferred the officer into US custody on Friday. "He was flown on a US helicopter from northern Albania to Tirana where he is currently under the control of US military authorities," a Pentagon statement on the situation read. The soldier is the first Yugoslav prisoner to be taken during the three week conflict. Two weeks ago, three US soldiers were captured by the Yugoslav army and are now in custody as prisoners of war at an undisclosed location within Serbia. The announcement of the capture comes on a day when both NATO and the US spoke of the growing effectiveness of KLA forces. "[Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic]'s going to face a growing insurgency in Kosovo because he hasn't destroyed the KLA," National Security Adviser Samuel Berger said on the NewsHour. "There are more now than there were before and they are stronger now and the balance of power is going to shift every day and every week." According to the US military, the prisoner has been seen by a doctor and "found to be in good condition." "Unlike Yugoslavia, we intend to treat this POW with strict compliance with the Geneva Convention and not use him for any propaganda purposes," a Pentagon spokesman told reporters Friday night. Military statements indicate the soldier will be held until the end of the conflict. "Prisoners of war are entitled to release and repatriation, without delay, upon agreement or after the cessation of active hostilities," the Pentagon said. -- Posted 4/16/99 - 11:15pm EDT

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