They said the action was taken overnight, at the end of a day which saw growing condemnation from the international community of the latest Serb offensive against ethnic Albanians in the province.

More than 17,000 ethnic Albanians are reported to have fled their homes in response to the offensive, which the Serbs said was aimed at separatist guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The ethnic Albanians have sought sanctuary in neighbouring Albania or crossed into the former Yugoslav republics of Montenegro and Macedonia.

Some refugees told the BBC that Serb police had shot up to 11 ethnic Albanian men in the back while women and children fled in one village near the capital, Pristina, on Sunday.

Smoke plumes

Thousands seek refuge across the border

The latest reports from Kosovo said the region seemed generally quiet on Saturday, but with the sound of occasional artillery fire from Serb forces.

BBC Correspondent Jon Devitt, on the border with Albania, said it seemed to be quieter than usual with just the sporadic sound of shellfire.

However, he said several plumes of smoke could be seen rising into the haze, the usual sign that houses have been set alight.

The only traffic on the tiny road connecting the border villages was military convoys travelling fast along this key strategic route.

International condemnation

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has said he is deeply disturbed by what he called atrocities committed by Serbian military and paramilitary forces against unarmed civilians in the Serb province.

The Security Council has called for humanitarian organisations to be given immediate and unimpeded access to all parts of Kosovo.