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Refugees 'forced to move dead bodies'

Doug Henderson told a Ministry of Defence briefing that more than 20,000 refugees have fled Kosovo during the past 24 hours. He said it is estimated that another 20,000 are at the borders intending to cross.

Nato has evidence of the Serbs destroying 200 villages and towns, and "disturbing reports" of prisoners being used to try to cover up evidence of massacres, he told the briefing in London.

He said British troops were "ready to extend" their work in building camps and help the international aid mission.

The Deputy Chief of Defence said that in spite of the mixed weather during the past 24 hours, Nato has attacked targets in both Serbia and Kosovo.

Air Marshal Sir John Day told the briefing that RAF harrier GR7 aircraft hit Serbian army and special police forces in Kosovo with RBL755 cluster bombs.

"We do not yet have the full battle damage assessment, but initial reports say they hit both armoured personnel carriers and military soft-skin vehicles," he said.

Saturday's attack also targeted airfields and oil depots, he said, adding that hitting smaller targets was just as significant as destroying the larger ones.

This showed that Nato was "making inroads" into Serb President Slobodan Milosevic's forces in Kosovo, which were "directly responsible for the ethnic cleansing".

There are 40,000 Serb army personnel and 300 tanks in Kosovo, and cutting their lines of communication will make them more vulnerable to attack, Sir John added.

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Internet Links

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Latest news on Kosovo - Ministry of Defence
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Kosova Press

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