Fighting continues despite Macedonian peace deal

Sporadic fighting has continued in Macedonia just hours before NATO troops move into the country to help disarm the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.

The rebels fired mortars at two police checkpoints overnight in a suburb of the northern city of Tetovo. Mortars were also fired at Macedonian security positions near the town of Kumanovo, while police said the rebels are intimidating Slav civilians into leaving their homes in Tetovo.

These attacks come despite a ceasefire announced prior to the signing of a peace deal between the minority ethnic Albanians and the majority Slavs.

The NATO troops entering the region today will assess the security situation to see if it is safe to send more soldiers in to collect voluntarily decommissioned weapons.