The death of a British soldier yesterday - after youths threw a lump of concrete at his vehicle - overshadowed the start of NATO's weapons collection in Macedonia.
Sapper Ian Collins, 22, died after the concrete was hurled his armoured Land Rover, shattering the windscreen and hitting his head.
Army investigators said it was not yet known if the youths were Macedonian or Albanian. But the attack came amid resentment from Macedonians that the NATO mission is limited to 30 days and is only intended to collect 3,300 weapons from the rebel ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army.
Hard-liners in the Macedonian government claim this will leave the NLA with 80,000 munitions.
NATO leaders and politicians condemned the attack as "mindless hooliganism", but said it would not stop the weapons collection in the troubled Balkan state.
Hundreds of weapons were surrendered to NATO troops by Albanian rebels at mobile collection sites yesterday. But politicians have called on NATO to reconsider the operation's 30-day deadline.
Sapper Collins was one of 1,500 British troops on the mission. A family friend who was leaving his parents' home near Sheffield said: "They are absolutely devastated. Ian meant the world to them."
The unmarried soldier joined the army five years ago and had served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia. His vehicle was attacked as he drove a colleague along a military route towards the Macedonian capital Skopje on Sunday. His passenger was not injured.
Sapper Collins was taken to a military base, then to a US army hospital in Kosovo, and then Skopje University Hospital, where he underwent surgery but died early yesterday. Arrangements were being made to bring his body home.
Downing Street said Prime Minister Tony Blair, on holiday in France, had been in touch with Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski about the incident.
Liberal Democrat defence spokesman Mr Menzies Campbell said NATO forces had to be in a position to defend themselves properly against such attacks.
He said: "Continued instability in Macedonia could reverberate throughout the whole region and put at risk the hard-won gains of the last 10 years in Bosnia and Kosovo. The 30-day time limit looks increasingly unrealistic. NATO should stay as long as necessary to do the job properly."
NATO spokesman Maj Alexander Dick said 400 rifles and machine guns, 50 anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, 30 mortar bombs, 30 anti-tank launchers, 10 to 15 rocket launchers, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and one anti-tank weapon were surrendered.
The rebels agreed to the handover in return for reforms from the Macedonian government which would give ethnic Albanians greater rights in the troubled state.
NATO chiefs hope the mobile weapons points will collect 1,000 weapons by the end of this week, and the Macedonian government has agreed to begin discussing reforms once that has taken place.
But the shaky peace accord came under further pressure yesterday with reports of gunfire close to the border with Kosovo and Macedonians forming human shields to stop their troops from withdrawing near NATO collection sites close to Tetovo.