21. Witnesses said Yugoslav helicopters, all painted black, strafed and bombed the Kijevo positions for one and a half hours late Saturday night. 22. Yedioth said helicopters and hundreds of extra police would be added. 23. However Qureshi and Cheema denied any US forces were present, and said helicopters were sent in to beef up the operation. 24. Interfax said helicopters which escorted aircraft carrying the Russian party and its Chechen prisoners back to their base were shot at by anti-aircraft fire. 25. Tikhomirov said Russian helicopters flying reconnaissance missions over Shali on Wednesday had been shot at from the positions targeted Thursday morning. 26. Witnesses said the helicopter exploded just before it hit the ground and that the survivor was either ejected or jumped off and was found on the motorway. 27. Issa said a helicopter from the French navy and airplanes from the US and British navies were circling the cargo ship, the M.V. Princess Sarah. 28. Local air force commander Brigadier General Reynaldo Reyes said his helicopters and planes would resume their airstrikes if the commanders on the ground in Basilan requested it. 29. One resident said Russian helicopters and warplanes were aiming particularly at a tank base not far from the village. 30. Police said four helicopters and two lifeboats were scouring the water for the missing people. |