Associated Press in Jakarta – Australian peacekeepers clashed with suspected militiamen in East Timor, UN officials said on Saturday.

A UN patrol fired on two suspected paramilitaries late on Friday after one of them raised a weapon at them, said UN spokesman Captain John Liston. Captain Liston said no peacekeepers were injured in the incident, which occurred about 6km east of Balibo near the border with Indonesian West Timor.

Two light reconnaissance helicopters flew in to locate the militiamen and extra troops were deployed to the area to assist the patrol, he said. No further details were immediately available.