A group of presumed anti-independence militiamen opened fire Thursday on a patrol of UN peacekeepers in the East Timorese district of Maliana, near the border with Indonesia.

The incident took place in the early afternoon local time during a routine UN patrol 11 kms south of the town of Batugade, indicated a statement issued by the territory's UN transition administration (UNTAET).

The patrol encountered a group of armed men and asked them to lay down their weapons. The group responded by shooting at the peacekeepers, who returned fire, forcing the attackers to flee. UN reinforcements have been sent to the area, where a search operation has been mounted.