Kosovo Rebels Free 8 Captured Soldiers

Kosovo rebels freed eight Yugoslav soldiers after getting private incentives from international officials who were determined to head off a return to war in the troubled Serbian province. The release, brokered by U.S. and European mediators, defused a five-day showdown in which Yugoslav forces massed tanks and troops near the northern Kosovo village where the soldiers were being held. The Kosovo Liberation Army agreed to the release after the government promised mediators that KLA prisoners will be freed within 10 days, an ethnic Albanian radio station reported. Army and Serbian officials said the release was unconditional.