Posted on 02/21/2008 11:04:42 AM PST by 11th_VA
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy Thursday and set fire to an office after a massive protest against Kosovo's independence that drew an estimated 150,000 people.
Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out inside one of the offices and parts of the facade also caught fire.
Authorities drove armored jeeps down the street and fired tear gas to clear the crowd. The protesters dispersed into side streets where they continued clashing with authorities.
The neighboring Croatian Embassy also was attacked by the same group of protesters.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack strongly urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.
More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
But the declaration by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership has been rejected by Serbia's government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo. Russia, China and numerous other nations have also condemned the declaration, saying it sets a precedent that separatist groups around the world will seek to emulate.
Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, has not been under Belgrade's control since 1999, when NATO launched airstrikes to halt a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. A U.N. mission has governed Kosovo since, with more than 16,000 NATO troops and KFOR, a multiethnic force, policing the province.
But Serbia — and Kosovo's Serbs, who make up less than 10 percent of Kosovo's population — refuse to give up Kosovo, a territory considered the ancient cradle of Serbs' state and religion.
Earlier Thursday, police estimated that about 150,000 people had attended a rally in the Serbian capital. The crowd waved Serbian flags and carried signs reading "Stop USA terror." One group set fire to a red-and-black Albanian flag.
The U.S. embassy in Belgrade burns after masked attackers broke into the building and set an office on fire at the end of a massive protest against Western-backed Kosovo independence, in the Serbian capital, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. More than 150,000 Serbs gathered at the rally vowing to retake the territory which is viewed as Serbia's religious and national heartland. (AP Photo)
2,000 posts! Only 1,698 to go!
And those in control of the territory now would rape and kill even her, islam is a crime against humanity.
When I read a post like yours, the phrase 'let's get this party started and get it over with', comes to my mind.
correct we are supportiing muslim fanatical albanians , we even gave them weapons and helped to ethnically cleanse the serbs fromtheir own country
all for muslim appeasment
Mexitejas
I can’t blame the Serbians at all. The United States is foolish to recognize the muslims, and seeing Bill Kristol on Fox News getting his panties in a wad and spewing his nonsensical, verbal diarrhea only reaffirms my belief.
“..that would be the pulling of the linchpin for patriotic Americans.”
So true, but even patriotic Americans have to be woken up. Right now they’re asleep.
It’s better that the sh*t hits the fan today before the t*rds get bigger tomorrow.
There must be much more dancing around this before
the problem can be realized, yet alone come to a
solution. We’ll die by a thousand cuts.
McCain and Kerry deserve a whole lot of the blame as well. The MSM that beat the drums for war and pumped out the propaganda deserves a lot of the blame as well.
...and it all happened on behalf of George Soros who wanted to, and now will, control all of Kosovo's resources including Trepco mine.
Well, you’re not going to hear any arguments about Islam’s humanity coming from me.
Now we know what clintons exit strategy was after all these years.
The lame duck is running wild, donating our money freely to failed states in Africa and anywhere in the world especially Muzzie-controled areas.
It's insanity run wild. We're paying for our enemies to destroy us. Pure madness.
America as we have no right and had no right to help ethnically cleanse the serb people from their own country to appease muslim albanians.
fact is wesley clark and clinton should be done for war crimes.
Bush is an idiot for what he has just done, we should not recognise Kosovo except for it being a serb country
911 was that first wakeup call, some people have pressed the snooze button.
Worst, WORST US foreign policy disaster ever... on par with Carter's Iran disaster.
Bush continued this Balkan crap. Clinton is the first to fault but we had at NO point business in meddling in the Balkans... whether in the 1990's or now. GET OUT OF THERE. No Blood for Balkan-Crazies (whether Albanian or Serb or Croatian).
I was being attacked left and right about being a defender of Kosovo and Muslims. It was a mistaken belief and I spent way too much time defending myself. Granted, whatever happened in Kosovo happened.
But can you tell me for sure how the Serbs will conduct themselves in Kosovo after what they did in Bosnia? You can't. And neither could anyone else. Someone had to step in and stop the madness before it became another slaughter.
MY point and my only point was this -- why did WE have to commit an armed response when it should have been the Europeans problem? See my post at #285 for my position.
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