Copters Fired On As Foreigners Flee Albania Anarchy U.S. Cobra Gunship Returns Fire, Destroys Machine-Gun Position

Hundreds of Americans and other foreigners fled this small Balkan country Friday as gunmen terrorized the capital for a second day.

At least 23 people were reported killed across the country and scores were wounded Friday as the chaos that has gripped southern Albania for a week spread to the rural north.

Here in the capital, military helicopters from several Western countries that were evacuating foreigners came under attack.

Foreigners attempting to board German helicopters Friday afternoon dove face down into the dirt as men in unmarked white vans peppered a military airport with bullets. It was unclear whether the volleys were directed at the Germans or a crowd of Albanians, some armed, who were rushing across the tarmac.

Later, a U.S. Marine AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter gunship evaded machine-gun fire and returned to destroy the gun position - quickly abandoned - from which the volley had come, military officials here said. The pilot of another Super Cobra spotted a man carrying what appeared to be a shoulder-mounted missile. The missile was never launched, and the threat ended after the helicopter fired its guns.

One Italian helicopter was reported hit by gunfire, but no one was injured.

U.S. Marines pulled 408 Americans out of Tirana, including dependents of diplomats, some embassy personnel, Peace Corps workers and others. Another 66 Americans were evacuated on Italian helicopters.

Col. Emerson Gardner, commander of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, said in a telephone hookup from aboard the USS Nassau that about 200 Americans and citizens of other foreign nations were awaiting evacuation at the embassy compound. He said that number could grow.

At the Pentagon, the chief operations officer, Lt. Gen. Peter Pace, said: “There’s a total population of Americans of about 1,800 who could be evacuated. The initial indications we had from the embassy were that about half of those - some 900, perhaps 1,000 - would want to be evacuated.”

Military officials here said gunfire had not caused them to cancel any flights. “I’m surprised how smoothly it’s going,” said Marine Capt. Erin Zellers. “We’ve got people 50 yards from here, walking around and shooting weapons - just so long as they’re not shooting at us.”

While there were no reports of American civilians in Albania being targeted, Pentagon officials said the chaos and indiscriminate firing of weapons pose heightened dangers to those who remain. About 170 Marines have taken up positions in the embassy compound and a U.S. housing area about a half-mile away to provide protection.

The exodus of foreigners, scheduled to continue today, came as leaders of a newly formed Albanian government huddled with European envoys on an Italian frigate in the Adriatic Sea in an effort to find a political solution to weeks of deadly civil unrest.

Albanian officials are intent on having an international force help stop the violence. Former Austrian chancellor Franz Vranitzky, representing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said he believed Albania needed outside help in solving its problems.

But U.S. officials indicated Friday there is little chance of military intervention any time soon. “I don’t think there’s an outside military force in the world that could establish peace in every town, village and hamlet in Albania over the weekend,” State Department spokesman Nicholas Burns said in Washington.

“This is not principally a military issue right now,” Defense Secretary William Cohen said. “It’s one of a violent, spasmodic reaction on the part of the people toward their government.”

By day’s end, the Albanian government was left to appeal to its citizenry to control itself and offered no clues on how it would try to take charge of a country with virtually no functioning military or stocked arsenals.

“In this tragedy, there are no losers and winners,” said Bashkim Fino, 35, Albania’s new prime minister. “We are all losers.”

Albania has been struggling with mayhem for two full weeks after public protests over the widespread failure of investment schemes turned lawless. The chaos has suited the purposes of a criminal class in this small country that has, since the fall of communism five years ago, thrived on drug and gun smuggling.