U.N. shootout leaves police officers dead

A Jordanian police officer, working as a U.N. peacekeeper in Kosovo, opened fire on his fellow U.N. correctional officers – 21 Americans, two Turks and an Austrian – before being shot dead.

Two American women were killed in the 10-minute gunbattle yesterday in the Kosovo U.N. compound. Among the wounded, Reuters reported, were 10 Americans, including four women. Both of the women killed were police officers, according to the New York Times.

According to Petra, the official Jordanian news agency, the officer's name was Ahmed Mustafa Ibrahim Ali.

U.N. spokesman Neeraj Singh told Associated Press, "As far as we know, there was no communication between the officer who fired and the group of victims."

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"Their wounds are predominantly in the chest and abdomen," Dr. Milan Ivanovic told AP. "They were caused by firearms and possibly explosive devices."

According to one U.S. policeman assigned to guard the wounded at Mitrovoca hospital, the "attack was organized."

"I'm sorry that none of the services was able to prevent it," he told Reuters without detailing his reasons for believing the shooting was premeditated.

While the cause of the rampage is still under investigation, the firefight reportedly followed an emotional argument among police officers over the war in Iraq.

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The Jordanian government expressed regret over the incident, noting that it is conducting it's own investigation to determine what happened.

According to Reuters, four Jordanian police officers were placed under arrest following the shootout.

"I am deeply shocked and dismayed at the unfortunate death of dedicated professionals who have come such a great distance to help Kosovo on its road to the future," the province's U.N. governor Harri Holkeri said in a statement.