Citizens of the Kosovo community of Gor have sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asking for protection against Albanian terrorists.

As the russian news agency Itar-Tass has reported, the letter states that gunmen from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) are trying to seize control of the territory.

They attack villages, shelling them from all kinds of arms and driving the local population from their homes.

"Community citizens have to resort to self-defense to protect their children and property," the letter states, adding "that may amount to large-scale armed clashes, which will pose a threat to stability in that Kosovo region."

The letter demands that international KFOR units be sent to the community to prevent the bloodshed.

The Gor community is situated in a remote mountainous region of Kosovo on the border with Albania. Its residents are Serbs converted to Islam. They have always been loyal to Serb authorities, but also had no conflicts with KLA gunmen arriving from Albania.

The conflict erupted after Yugoslav security forces left the region.

A.F.