Posted on 07/20/2005 8:13:15 AM PDT by Alex Marko
Two recent attacks on police stations in Macedonia have rattled the country. On 12 July, three shells from a hand-operated missile launcher were fired at the station in the village of Vratnica, near Tetovo. Two shells did not explode, while the third damaged a tree ten metres away.
Three days later, at around 10:50 pm, a powerful blast blew out the windows of the police station at Bit Pazar, near central Skopje. Neighbouring houses were also damaged. Neither incident resulted in casualties.
The Macedonian police and Proxima, the EU police mission in Macedonia, have described the attacks as sporadic, saying they are not capable of causing wide destabilisation.
"The attack on the Vratnica police station is provocation of an extremist group, which is probably a part of a few extremist groups operating in the region and Macedonia," said Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski. Two current developments -- the adoption of a law allowing the use of ethnic flags in Macedonian communities, and the expected start of talks on Kosovo's status later this year -- may have spurred recent activity by militants, he said.
Others have suggested the violence is aimed at hampering Macedonia's integration into NATO and the EU.
The explosion at Bit Pazar occurred only a few hours after Macedonia's National Security Council met to discuss the situation in the village of Kondovo, where police have not been patrolling for several months because of threats by a heavily armed criminal group, led by Agim Krasniqi. Courts have issued several arrest warrants against Krasniqi, and the authorities are trying to come up with a way to arrest him without risking civilian casualties or triggering unrest among the local population.
Police are under orders from the National Security Council to restore law and order in Kondovo, and authorities say most villagers are opposed to Krasniqi and his armed group. But the timing of the operation has yet to be decided.
Meanwhile, all political parties in Macedonia -- except for Arben Xhaferi's Democratic Party of Albanians -- have issued declarations condemning the recent attacks. Ali Ahmeti, leader of the Democratic Union for Integration, appealed to Krasniqi to surrender voluntarily, and said it was guaranteed that he would receive a fair trial.
KosovO Extremists = Albanians
Not true, most of southern albania and the extreme northern tip of Albania(near montenegro) are christians and despise the muslims in the country. These problems are from muslims in Kosovo and some in the northwest of Albania. Remember that Albania has troops in Iraq and the former PM(christian) was very strong on the war on terror by arresting pretty much any arab that step foot in the country.
And who else could it have been? The title is merely stating a forgone conclusion.
Also in the news, Bears Crap in the Woods! Film at 11.
Extremists Suspected in Attacks on Macedonian Police Stations
You sais,
Just what is the status of Christian Albanian in Macedonia. Do they support the extremist? Are they terrorized thenselves?
Did the Kosovo Christian Albanians support the UCK? What was their status?
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