Kosovska Mitrovica - Ethnic Albanian guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army freed eight Yugoslav army soldiers yesterday in an 11th-hour, OSCE- mediated deal, easing fears of a renewed war in the region.
The soldiers arrived at the army barracks in Kosovska Mitrovica, near where they had been captured on Friday, for an emotional reunion with their families.
After a debriefing by officers, the soldiers left for a two-week holiday. Their term in the army ends in March.
The release of the soldiers averted a threatened assault by the Yugoslav army to free its men, which would almost certainly have ended the brittle ceasefire in Kosovo.
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The conditions of the soldiers' release remained unclear.