S-For did not find General Mladic during the raid

The raid, carried near Sarajevo by Italian carabinieri, failed to find General Mladic.

The body of Mrs Mladic was not in the house at the time, S-For spokesman Dale MacEachern said told BBC News Online, but her family had gathered there ahead of her funeral.

Bosnian Serb news agency SRNA said the troops spent one-and-a-half hours searching the house in the village of Kasindol after entering at around 1300 on Wednesday (1100 GMT).

We regret (the timing of the raid), but it's more important for the people of Bosnia-Hercegovina to carry out our mandate Captain Dale MacEachern S-For spokesman

They were backed by four helicopters, combat vehicles and sniffer dogs, said reports.

S-For raids are always based on intelligence, said Captain MacEachern, but no specific details were being made available about the information which led to the raid.

Stana Mladic died overnight on Tuesday, and the agency quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the house was being monitored at the time by S-For helicopters.

S-For regretted the timing of the raid, said Captain MacEachern, and was aware that it could be seen as in poor taste.

"However, it's more important for the people of Bosnia-Hercegovina that we carry out our mandate," he said.

Family members who had gathered for the funeral co-operated fully during the operation, said an S-For statement, adding that the raid was conducted with the assistance of the Bosnian Serb police.

Mrs Mladic was due to be buried on Wednesday afternoon.

Most wanted

General Mladic commanded the Bosnian Serb army during the 1992-95 war. He and wartime political leader Radovan Karadzic are the two most-wanted suspects of the Hague war crimes tribunal.

They are accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for the persecution of non-Serbs.

S-For made several unsuccessful attempts to catch Mr Karadzic last year.