Europe Nato relaxes Serb deadline Serb civilians are fleeing Kosovo with the Yugoslav forces Over 26,000 Yugoslav troops have withdrawn from Kosovo as the massive pullout operation continues apace. The retreating forces in the south of the country were given a 24-hour extension after Nato acknowledged they were being held up by traffic congestion.
Serb forces have four more days to complete their withdrawal from the rest of Kosovo.
Thousands of Serb civilians are fleeing Part of the congestion which led to the informal deadline extension was caused by thousands of Serb civilians abandoning Prizren and other areas in a blow to Nato's hopes of maintaining a multi-ethnic Kosovo. General Jackson appealed for them to stay, insisting that the Nato forces would protect them. There have been numerous reports of marauding KLA soldiers looting Serbian warehouses, and torching Serb homes. General Jackson said the KLA would be demilitarised, but the method had yet to be worked out. The race to return home gathered pace on Wednesday, with long lines of cars backed up at border crossings.