Posted on 11/23/2005 2:50:46 AM PST by Nennsy
(CNSNews.com) - Rebel forces in Kosovo have threatened to carry out an organized "military operation" against the capital city of Pristina by Wednesday night. Calling NATO and United Nations forces "modern occupiers," the Kosovo Independence Army (KIA) said it was lodging the threat because the Kosovo Assembly has not declared independence.
The threat, carried by local media, follows increasing violence against international forces in Kosovo and may lead to an alliance between armed rebel groups and jihadist forces, according to a former security chief from the region.
Rebels have blown up several vehicles belonging to the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Protection Service (KPS), leading UNMIK to warn employees to check their vehicles for bombs before starting the engines. (Click here to view UNMIK internal memo on vehicle tracking.)
Prior to the bombing of vehicles, graffiti across Kosovo warned "UNMIK get out!" Last month U.N. vehicles were defaced to read "FUND," which is Albanian for "The End." Internal U.N. emails obtained by Cybercast News Service described the development as "extremely serious." (Click here and here to view photos of defaced vehicles)
Cybercast News Service has learned that NATO's Kosovo Force has an emergency plan called "Operation Safe Haven" in place to evacuate internationals. The news organization has also obtained the first communique issued by the Kosovo Independence Army (KIA). It was signed on Oct. 5 and delivered by children to UNMIK police headquarters in Pristina, according to local and U.N. sources. (Click here to view communique)
The KIA promised to apply the "rules of war" and execute parliamentarians who failed to declare independence by Oct. 15. "Kosovar quislings" (collaborators) would be executed as well, the KIA stated. "They don't deserve one bullet in their forehead but seven."
On Friday the KIA ordered UNMIK, which it labeled the "modern occupier," to release all "war hostages" taken since 2000 or UNMIK officers and those who apply U.N. laws and regulations would "suffer."
"[F]or six years you betrayed us," the communique read.
International judges, prosecutors and investigators have also been ordered to "retreat" from Kosovo.
The existence of the KIA was at first denied by UNMIK and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), but later confirmed by UNMIK Police Commissioner Kai Vittrup. KFOR is a NATO-led international force responsible for establishing and maintaining security in Kosovo.
While the KIA is considered a new rebel group, it is made up of former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, said Thomas Gambill, a former security chief for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in the eastern region of Kosovo. OSCE is a regional security group made up of members from 55 countries and operating under the authority of the United Nations. "All rebel groups are offshoots of the KLA. It's just the KLA renamed," Gambill said.
The threatened destabilization of Kosovo comes at a sensitive time, as the United Nations is making preparations for final status talks on the troubled Serbian province.
Gambill believes that Albanian frustration over the independence issue could lead armed rebels to forge an alliance with al Qaeda. Both groups want the international presence out of Kosovo and al Qaeda has a history of attempting to destabilize the Balkans region where it wants to gain influence.
Al Qaeda activity in neighboring Albania has been a primary concern to Gambill since 2000, given the porous borders and intelligence indicating that terrorist training camps were operating in the country. Two months ago, Abdul Latif Saleh, an alleged associate of Osama bin Laden and a resident of Albania, was listed by the United Nations as a terrorism financier. Bin Laden gave Saleh $600,000 to create extremist groups in Albania in order to destabilize the country, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
Cybercast News Service, meanwhile, has learned that a bomb which exploded in a downtown market in the town of Strpce last Thursday was a time-triggered IED (improvised explosive device) planted beneath the truck owned by a Kosovo Albanian from Kacanik. The man had gone to the market to sell goods and was injured by the blast. According to Gambill the man was warned recently by members of the KIA to stop doing business with Serbs. No one has declared responsibility for the attack.
"The people are frustrated and scared. Tensions are high." said Gambill who maintains sensitive contacts with officials and Serbian and Albanian locals.
The threats are played down, Gambill said, because "it does not suit the internationals to have a serious crisis such as this at the time when they are sending out reports on how much improvement has been made in Kosovo."
"The time for the KIA-KLA to join with al Qaeda seems to be close at hand," said Gambill. "The Albanian and American love affair will be put to the test."
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"Bomb Kosovo" HILLARY told BILL during his impeachment.
bin LADEN took note.
.
A completely ignorant statement, congratulations.
Quick correction:
"The Albanian and American love affair will be laid to test."
Are they going to burn some cars?
"Kosovars"? What an ugly monstrous name! "Kosovo" comes the word "kos" - "blackbird" in every Slavic language. Kosovo means the land of blackbirds
Why the Muslim Albanians lack the courage to use their own Albanian words instead of distorting the beautiful and original name of this land? Arabs have more integrity and call Jerusalem - Al-Quds.
Bolton, where are you, Condi, W? Quit funding the kangaroo Hague tribunal.
For 6 or 7 years now they have been trying to convict this guy. I believe they are hoping he will die before the Judges have to give the conviction that is already certain.
The outcome of this trial was made 2 days after they arrested him, they just cant figure how they will do it and make it look feasible.
Thank you GWB for not signing on to the International Criminal Court.
That is true in the grand scale. Yet in Kosovo, they were first trying to gain independence, and later possible unification.
Be patient Serbs. Time is on your side. It's only a matter of time before the KLA gets impatient with it's liberators and begins to consider them to be its "occupiers" and turns on them.
Using the NATO forces as cover, the KLA have turned Kosovo into a major heroin pipeline area. They have turned NATO soldiers into a major market for their brothels, "nightclubs," and God knows what else. Of course, being connected to Europe by the Former Yugoslavia's road and RR infrastructure, Kosovo makes an excellent staging area for Albanian organized crime, which is mind-boggling in scope. So, bottom line, I would expect the "political" side-show to go on for many illegally profitable years.
Heroin, stolen cars and parts, prostitution, and extortion (probably in that order) are Albania's biggest foreign exchange earners. Probably what attracted Bill Clinton to their cause. It reminded him of his operations at home.
A completely pointless response, good for you.
If any Serb on Freerepublic called for the "wipe" out of Albanians, or if any Albanian on Freerepublic called for the "wipe" out of Serbs, I would expect and hope that their posting privileges would be immediately revoked.
Then YOU decide to slither onto a Balkan thread and have some uncontrollable urge to splatter a bunch of crap at both parties. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you've contributed ZERO to any previous Balkan discussion. Monty's post wasn't pointless at all. It pointed out to all of the thinking Balkans discussion people just how absolutely rediculous your orignal post really was. We all saw it. It's a shame you didn't.
Take a breath.
Serb apologists on this site have been calling for the eradication of the Albanian Muslims for some time. Perhaps you haven't been paying attention.
Provide the links and the quotes - and any of those specifying the murderous or terroristic ones (including mainly KLA members) doesn't qualify as calling for the eradication of Albanian Muslims in general.
Perhaps you haven't been paying attention.
That's funny coming from a relative newbie, who hasn't been here even a year yet, and has barely contributed to Balkan threads, towards getoffmylawn, who has been a FReeper almost 5 years longer and has made substantial contributions to Balkan threads. Further he was involved in an award winning documentary called “Yugoslavia: the Avoidable War” (1999).
Yes, he is cool, but you seem to be a typical Balkan forum hit-and-run type cranky poster, AoSs.
It's pretty obvious that insults (and weak ones at that) are all you have to offer this conversation, but whatever...
That's funny coming from a relative newbie, who hasn't been here even a year yet, and has barely contributed to Balkan threads
That's rich, coming from a demagogue who contributes to nothing *but* Balkan threads, rarely with anything of substance.
Provide the links and the quotes - and any of those specifying the murderous or terroristic ones (including mainly KLA members) doesn't qualify as calling for the eradication of Albanian Muslims in general.
How about this one, and a thousand others like it. Of course, I never saw one word of protest from you. Couldn't be because you agree, hmm?
"Serbs never forget. When the time is right, they will exact revenge on the Muslims in spades and justice will be served."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1518635/replies?c=26
Further he was involved in an award winning documentary called “Yugoslavia: the Avoidable War” (1999).
He's gone to great lengths to convince himself that the Serbs are innocent and blameless, and the victims of a vast, worldwide conspiracy. And so have you.
I don't call for the extermination of Muslims; I just don't want them harming Serbs is all. Unfortunately Muslims have been and are used as tools by certain powerful nations to weaken and divide countries.
Getoffmylawn is respected by many here and even by a Croat poster (Diocletian) who fought against Serbs. You aren't of his league (in the Balkan forums).
I dare you to find ONE regular Balkans poster here that called for the eradication of an ethnic group. Happy hunting Ace...
You're making stuff up now, why?
You're in over you're head Sparky, way over...
That so? I haven't seen you do much more than ridicule anyone who's disagreed with you on this point. What are you going to do, call me nasty names? Try me.
I understand, really, being of German heritage myself. But my people long ago stopped kidding ourselves that we were on the right side of the fight. Someday yours might as well.
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