71.   The government army also evacuated a nearby village, indicating an offensive may be in the offing, possibly aimed at severing Serb supply routes.

72.   The government said the offensive was in response to a land mine explosion that killed eight soldiers two days before.

73.   The new offensive is the bloodiest this year and violates a cease-fire that rebels of the Revolutionary United Front had agreed to for the duration of peace negotiations.

74.   The offensive was in an area west of Kumanovo where fighting Sunday left one soldier dead and wounded four others on the government side.

75.   The offensive is a smaller version of a six-week Turkish military thrust into northern Iraq in the spring, which brought strong denunciations from Western allies.

76.   The offensive is the first major military move by Russian forces since they captured Grozny earlier this year.

77.   The offensive was the largest military action since fighting between the rebels and the government subsided in late March, but there were no reports of casualties.

78.   The opposition coalition espouses a more liberal brand of Islam and says the latest offensive is an attempt to push the Taliban into negotiations.

79.   The offensive is a smaller version of a six-week Turkish military thrust into northern Iraq beginning in March, which brought strong denunciations from Western allies.

80.   The offensive is an attempt to force Syria to assume a more direct role in the negotiations thus isolating the ayatollahs of Teheran.