Bosnian woman killed helping husband flee

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A woman killed by peacekeeping troops in Bosnia was shot after she and her 11-year-son fired on soldiers seeking the arrest of her husband.

The woman, Rada Abazovic, was declared dead after the gun battle Thursday outside the family's home in Bjelogorci. Her son, Dragoljub, was wounded, The New York Times reported.

Her husband, Dragomir Abazovic, a Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect, was cornered by troops and shot himself in the head, the newspaper said. He was hospitalized in serious condition.

The peacekeeper shootings were widely criticized by Serbian politicians, including the Serbian member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, Dragan Cavic, the newspaper said.

Cavic accused the European Union-led peacekeeping force of using indiscriminate force resulting in the death and injury of innocent victims.

On Friday, a spokesman for the European Union-led mission said Rada Abazovic had opened fire on the soldiers as her husband tried to escape.

"She fired short bursts from an automatic weapon, a Kalashnikov AK-47," Lt. Cmdr. Jem Thomas told the Times in a telephone interview.

She was estimated to have used four magazines of ammunition, Thomas said,