Four Bosnian civilians were also injured, Mostar Radio said. In Rome, officials said 11 of the injured peacekeepers were Italian paramilitary police. The trouble started when armed, masked U.N. and Bosnian police backed by NATO troops seized the Mostar headquarters of the bank Hercegovacka Banka and 10 branches throughout Bosnia-Herzegovina. During the takeover, mobs swarmed the bank's headquarters, beat police and international officials, destroyed records and looted the building. Crowds attacked NATO vehicles, overturning several and setting one on fire.
Gunshots rang out in the streets.
NATO closed the main bridge across the Neretva River dividing the city into Muslim and Croat districts and called in reinforcements from throughout the country. E- mail this story to a friend. All rights reserved. Any copying, redistribution, or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the expressed written consent of the Lexington Herald-Leader is prohibited.