U.S. Soldiers May Have Behaved Improperly in Kosovo, Army Says

UROSEVAC, Yugoslavia —  U.S. soldiers serving with the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo may be guilty of treating men in Kosovo too roughly and of having “inappropriate physical contact” with local women, U.S. army headquarters in Kosovo said Sunday.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is investigating allegations that soldiers acted inappropriately while maintaining crowd control in Vitina, said a statement issued from Camp Bondsteel, the main U.S. base in Kosovo.

No charges have been filed and investigations into the alleged incidents Jan. 9 and 10 are continuing, the military said. It did not offer further details.

There was no indication that the investigation was related to the killing of an 11-year-old ethnic Albanian girl, also in Vitina. A U.S. soldier serving with the international peacekeeping force in eastern Kosovo was charged last weekend with sexually assaulting and killing the girl.