(May 2004, Kosovo) Seventeen year old Serb killed by Albanian extremists today - (graphic warning)

www.kosovo.net ^ | 05/06/2004 | ERP KiM Info-Service

[miltonim]

News

ERP KiM Newsletter 05-06-04

Seventeen year old Serb killed by Albanian extremists today - Diocese most strongly condemns the crime and continuation of ethnic terror in Kosovo

Bishop Artemije visited the family of the killed Serb teenager today and send a sharp message to the international mission in Kosovo saying that the continuation of the ethnic violence and terrorism are direct consequences of a failure of the Mission to take more decisive measures against organized Albanian terrorist gangs and mafia. The international mission in Kosovo may be quite correctly equaled to policy of tacit approval and passive collaboration with ethnic cleansing and therefore deserves a strong condemnation. The ethnic violence in Kosovo will never cease until the main inspirers and organizers of the policy of ethnic cleansing and terrorism are brought to justice, said today Bishop Artemije adding that this is exactly what the internationals have failed to do.

(click to enlarge photos)

mitar3.jpg
Funeral announcement

incorrect time stamps at some of the photos are the
consequence of the technical failure of the camera

mitar1.jpg the body of Dimitrije Popovic after attack	mitar2.jpg the body of Dimitrije Popovic after attack		mitar7.jpg place of attack with blood stains
mitar4.jpg Bishop Artemije in visit to Popovic family	mitar5.jpg Mourning over the body of Dimitrije Popovic	mitar6.jpg Fr. Symeon serves a commemoration service

ERP KiM Info-service
Gracanica, June 05, 2004

Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren most strongly condemns today's murder of a seventeen year old Serb from Gracanica - Dimitrije Popovic. After the recent attack on Blagoje Orlovic from Gornje Strmce near Zubin Potok, this latest terrorist attack is one among many other ethnic crimes directed against the Serb community which proves that there is no security for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija even in the largest Serb enclaves through which Kosovo Albanians may freely travel. Since June 1999 and the arrival of the UN/KFOR peace mission more than 2300 Serbs have been either killed or abducted by Albanian terrorists.

Three months after the March Pogrom in which Albanian extremists killed 9 and expelled 4000 Serb civilians ethnic terror and violence against Kosovo Serbs is still continuing with the goal of creation of an ethnically clean "state of Kosovo" and expulsion of all remaining Serbs from this area.

Beside immediate perpetrators, who have been arrested by the police, the responsibility for ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and Metohija lies on the representatives of the so called peace mission of UN who have failed so far to arrest any organizer and planner of the March violence and who are not ready to react against ethnic Albanian terrorism which is directed both against Serbs and other non-Albanians as well as those Kosovo Albanians who do not want to accept the rule of terror and mafia. Particular responsibility lies on KFOR Headquarters because only a few days ago a Swedish check-points at the entrance and exit to Gracanica have been dismantled although they were the only guarantee of security for the local Serbs. These checkpoints discouraged Kosovo Albanian extremists to attack Serbs while passing through the enclave because all cars were searched and any attempt to run away after an attack was impossible. Once again it has been proved that reduction of KFOR troops means a green light for ethnic Albanian terrorists to continue their attacks on unprotected Serb civilians.

Bishop Artemije visited the family of the killed Serb teenager today and send a sharp message to the international mission in Kosovo saying that the continuation of the ethnic violence and terrorism are direct consequences of a failure of the Mission to take more decisive measures against organized Albanian terrorist gangs and mafia. The international mission in Kosovo may be quite correctly equaled to policy of tacit approval and passive collaboration with ethnic cleansing and therefore deserves a strong condemnation. The ethnic violence in Kosovo will never cease until the main inspirers and organizers of the policy of ethnic cleansing and terrorism are brought to justice, said today Bishop Artemije adding that this is exactly what the internationals have failed to do.

According to the Bishop Albanian extremists are encouraged by the lack of proper response on the part of KFOR and UNMIK after the March riots and feel free to continue their attacks in order to force Serbs to leave the UN administered Province.

---

Agency news regarding the today's murder in Gracanica

A 17 year old Serb murdered in Gracanica (KiM Radio)

Seventeen year old Dimitrije Popovic was murdered at 2.30 this morning in the center of Gracanica. Unknown person shot with an automatic rifle at the Serb teenager who was in a hamburger shop with other three Serb teenagers who were returning home from a disco club. Except Dimitrije Popovic, no one else was injured in the attack. Popovic was hit in the head, it was advised by the Health center in Gracanica. Kosovo Police authorities confirmed that Dimitrije Popovic was killed but they could not offer any additional information this morning. KFOR police made a two hours investigation at the spot. According to the testimony of eyewitnesses an "Audi" car from which attackers shot at a Serb teenager sped towards Pristina after the attack. At the moment the road through Gracanica is blocked and many inhabitants of Gracanica and the neighboring villages have gathered to express their peaceful protest against this heinous crime.

Suspects in the crime arrested by police (KiM Radio, B92)

The speaker of the Kosovo Police Service Refki Morina said for the press that two persons have been arrested this morning under suspicion of killing a Serb teenager in Gracanica. From informal sources Serb media learned that two Albanian males were arrested near the Pristina main bus station. During the search of the vehicle an automatic rifle was found. According to the testimony of eyewitnesses there were three persons in the car at the time of the attack. The police is still searching for the third attacker.

KFOR and the Police forces blocked entrance to Gracanica. The atmosphere is very tense and the local Serbs have announced that they would collectively leave Gracanica if the KFOR checkpoints are not reinstalled. The funeral of Dimitrije Popovic will be held in Gracanica tomorrow at 14.00 hrs.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"...violence and terrorism are direct consequences of a failure of the Mission to take more decisive measures against organized Albanian terrorist gangs and mafia." [snip]

Where's the exit strategy? Is Kosovo better off today than it was before the war started? Did we EVEN CHOOSE THE RIGHT SIDE? How great does it feel to know that our bombing-- DELIBERATE BOMBING OF CIVILIANS -- resulted in the mass slaughter of Christians by Islamo-facist mobsters?

Where were the protest signs? Where were the pacifists? How did it make the USA 'more secure' to do this? It made us just a bit LESS secure, I'd say. Our Kosovo war was the worst decision our military made since Sherman's March. It was a moral blunder.

Even then the GOP leaders stood by the troops and supported them, although I don't think they approved of it in the cloak rooms. They stood by the troops even then. They knew it was 'Wag the Dog'-- the genuine article. But they followed the tradition of being united in war, in the hope that one day we would have a decent president fighting the good fight, and the rats would hold up their end.

I and many here on the FR warned them then, the rats would break tradition. Heck, they trashed every other tradition in sight. Why would they do otherwise regarding war? There was no reason to support an immoral war. But why listen to some little, unknown forum? THEY SHOULD HAVE!

Sad FReegards....

[Straight Vermonter]

Ping

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Correcting the rant:

....worst decision our military made....

Er, ... worst moral military blunder our Commander in Chief made since Sherman's March ...

[Alberta's Child]

Many of the "neo-conservatives" who have been the strongest advocates for the war in Iraq were also supporters of the Clinton administration's disgraceful war in Kosovo.

There is far more to this crap than anyone realizes, and it ain't very pretty no matter how you look at it.

[AntiGuv]

I didn't advocate either. I guess that makes me an ultra-paleo. =)

[miltonim]

Muhammad's Koran-inspired persecution of Christians, Jews and all non-Muslims continues...

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

"Many of the "neo-conservatives" who have been the strongest advocates for the war in Iraq were also supporters of the Clinton administration's disgraceful war in Kosovo."

Neo-cons? Oh please! Why not call us neo-nazis? That's where the word, 'neo' has been traditionally used. Republican leaders always support the troops. It's that simple. I wish we could compartmentalize this thread about Kosovo. But ok. I support the Iraq war. Our planes were shot at hundreds of times prior to the war. Saddam called for festive celebration on 9-11. He was a brutal thug. He had WMDs that were smuggled to Syria while Tenet ignored the satellite surveys and Powell sought a dippy solution at the UN. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now we have a strong foothold in the Islamo-facist belly, and even with harbors and good air bases [which we lacked in Afghanistan].

[Alberta's Child]

Republican leaders always support the troops. It's that simple. I wish we could compartmentalize this thread about Kosovo.

But that's the whole point. I wasn't referring to a situation in which Republican leaders "supported the troops" in Kosovo -- I'm talking about people like Richard Perle and William Kristol openly supporting U.S. military intervention in a conflict in the former Yugoslavia in which no compelling U.S. interest was at stake. Imagine that: Clinton, in "wagging the dog" in Kosovo, enjoyed the outright support of the same people who have been the strongest cheerleaders for the Iraq war.

In addition to this, a disturbing number of these "neo-conservatives" (including both of the men I mentioned above) belong to a group called the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC). This organization has made a name for itself in recent months for -- now get ready for this -- criticizing the Putin government for its heavy-handed methods of dealing with Chechen terrorists.

So there we have it. The same people who were such strong supporters of the war in Iraq were/are also: 1) supporters U.S. military intervention in the Balkans on behalf of a radical Muslim element in Kosovo, and 2) critics of a Russian government that is dealing with its own problems with terrorism.

You can sit there and play stupid/naive all you want, but there is a clear inconsistency in these positions that should make any reasonably intelligent person stand up and take note.

"War on terror," my @ss.

[rlmorel]

Hmm. I presume you think that anyone who doesn't see it the way you do, is, by your definition, not "reasonably intelligent"?

That is quite an egotistical statement. I assume you were being rhetorical.

[Alberta's Child]

I don't expect anyone to agree with me at all . . . I simply said any reasonably intelligent person should "stand up and take note."

The silence in that regard among both the mainstream media as well as conservative pundits is actually quite deafening. I have never once heard anyone ask Mr. Kristol or Mr. Perle to explain their blatant inconsistency in these matters.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Regarding Kristol: what US military action has he opposed during the war? I'd be surprised if he ever opposed any war, except perhaps after the fact. That is standard GOP, support the troops and support what they are told to do.

"In addition to this, a disturbing number of these "neo-conservatives" (including both of the men I mentioned above) belong to a group called the American Committee for Peace in Chechnya (ACPC). This organization has made a name for itself in recent months for -- now get ready for this -- criticizing the Putin government for its heavy-handed methods of dealing with Chechen terrorists."

I support the war against the Chechans. But back before watching NET [no longer around], I opposed the war against the Chechans. I had the wrong news sources. Does that make me a neo-nazi--- er, uh... neo-con man?

"You can sit there and play stupid/naive all you want, but there is a clear inconsistency in these positions that should make any reasonably intelligent person stand up and take note."

Oh? I'm playing stupid? Imagine if I unstrapped the other half of my brain. [To borrow a phrase from Rush]

["War on terror," my @ss.]

We destroyed a regime that called its nation to celebrate 9-11. What are you? A defense attorney for Saddam Insane? Babyface Nelson and Al Capone could have used friends like you. Good grief.