(3 Jan 1996) English/Nat
Two British IFOR soldiers have been injured as they worked in a hotel complex in the Sarajevo suburb of Ilidza.
It is thought they may have stumbled on a mine or unexploded shell.
The millions of land mines in Bosnia are posing the biggest threat to the peacekeepers of the IFOR mission - five soldiers have been injured so far.
The British soldiers were wounded Wednesday by an explosion in a hotel complex that is to serve as a future NATO headquarters.
A NATO statement said it was not clear whether they were hurt by a mine or by unexploded ordnance.
The British Ministry of Defence said one of the soldiers suffered injuries to his legs.
The second was injured in the abdomen.
Both men, who were not named, were taken to a French field hospital on Mount Igman where they received treatment.
SOUNDBITE: (in English)
"The battalion has been setting up a security of the headquarters complex prior to the arrival of the staff and its activation here in Sarajevo, and whilst this operation was in progress, there was an explosion which has injured to of our soldiers."
(Question: How badly were they injured and what caused it?)
"We understand that neither of them are seriously injured. We believe the extent of the injuries to be minor lacerations and at present we have no idea what caused it, we think it might have been unexploded ordnance."
SUPER CAPTION: Major Richard Dickson, ARRC (Allied Rapid Reaction Corps) press officer
Millions of mines were used by all parties in the 43-month Bosnian war.
Often unmarked or used as booby-traps, they pose a major threat to the 60-thousand-strong peace force pouring into Bosnia.
And mine-clearing is a top priority for soldiers deployed at the frontlines, who have received special training in mine avoidance and detection.
These Americans troops on Wednesday monitored Croatian HVO personnel and Serb forces clear up mines scattered at the Croatian frontline near Orasje.
SOUNDBITE: (in English)
"What is going on here today is the Croatian forces and Serbian forces have been clearing mines that were placed along the frontlines during the fighting."
SUPER CAPTION: IFOR soldier
The two Brits wounded Wednesday were not the first IFOR troops to be injured - three more peacekeepers were wounded in recent weeks.
Two British soldiers were injured in a mine explosion in north-western Bosnia shortly before Christmas.
An American engineer suffered serious leg and foot injuries last Saturday when the Humvee rough terrain vehicle he was in struck a mine in northern Bosnia.
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