Posted on 01/30/2003 9:23:58 AM PST by Destro
U.S. troops hand over terrorist suspect to Bosnian authorities
Thu Jan 30, 7:00 AM ET
By ALMIR ARNAUT, Associated Press Writer
TUZLA, Bosnia-Herzegovina - NATO (news - web sites)-led troops on Thursday transferred a Bosnian Muslim, who had been held at their base since October as a terrorist suspect, to the local authorities in Bosnia.
Sabahudin Fijuljanin, 41, was detained by U.S. troops based in Tuzla first for allegedly spying on their base and possession of weapons, which is illegal in Bosnia. After more than a month, they said they also had information Fijuljanin had links to the al-Qaida terrorist network.
Fijuljanin never admitted he had those links, and the troops serving in the NATO-led peacekeeping force never presented any evidence and never laid charges against him.
His extended detention prompted human rights groups, including Amnesty International, to accuse the force of violating Fijuljanin's rights by keeping him in custody without charge.
Earlier this month, the Human Rights Chamber Bosnia's top court in charge of human rights ordered the Bosnian presidency to request Fijuljanin's handover to local authorities.
Early Thursday, Fijuljanin was seen on the back seat of a local police car driving out of Eagle Base in Tuzla. Followed by a number of other police vehicles, he was driven to a police station in nearby Srebrenik, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Tuzla.
Maj. Shawn Mell, a spokesman for peacekeepers, said they had reached a point in their investigation "that can accommodate a transfer of Fijuljanin to the (Bosnian Muslim-Croat) federation Ministry of the Interior."
Fijuljanin's lawyer, Osman Mulahalilovic told The Associated Press the handover was "a triumph of the rule of law" and protection of human rights in Bosnia.
"I expect a hearing in the police station and an eventual charge for illegal possession of weapons or his immediate release," the lawyer said. Fijuljanin voluntarily handed over his anti-tank weapon a few days prior to his arrest.
Fijuljanin has been a member of a closed community near Srebrenik, which lives fairly isolated and practices a strict Islamic life style, unusual for the liberal Bosnian Muslim society.
Fijuljanin who hails from the Yugoslav region of Sandzak, has lived for years in Bosnia where he is married and has four children. His Bosnian citizenship is being investigated, since other passports, including his Yugoslav one, were found in his home during the investigation.
At present, about 12,000 international troops are serving in the peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. NATO deployed its troops here to keep the peace that ended the 1992-1995 Bosnian war.
That's what happens when the emotions get the better of you. We all can think before we press that "Send" button. Too bad.
We sound like a bunch of UFO theorists here...
It took many years for critical mainstream revelations of World War II and Korea to surface that examined American failures in those wars. DC didn't need to yell "national security" too loud in those days to silence those in the know -- just a quiet word to the publishing and television heads all paying taxes in the 90 percent range was usually enough.
Mr D's old buddy -- the Kinston, NC lad Frank Snepp changing a good deal of that in 1977. People had seen Vietnam on televison starting with the Tet offensive in 1968 and ending with the NVA rolling down Highway 1 in April 1975. They couldn't be fooled anymore and this work caused a bit of sensation when published.
Yet it was still quite easy in the mid-1990's to make the American sheep believe the Serbs butchered a hundred thousand innocent Muslims in Bosnia (or was it 200,000?). It was even easier to wag the dog in Kosovo. However...
Too many literate people from all sides of the various conflicts were there in Bosnia, Croatia, Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia. When you get some of them together in a forum like FR it doesn't take long to understand who was there and who wasn't. It has taken a few years, but increasingly the truth has come out and in the process damned much of the West.
Absolutely no substitute for experience on the ground in-theatre...
The West doesn't like this phenomena -- especially with World War III going on now. It makes them nervous in Foggy Bottom and Downing Street for people to be able to read about the US funding and equipping Osama bin Laden and others who are now taking the fight to the West.
Many would like to muzzle this type of discussion and utilise agents to mute such discourse. However you either believe in free speech or you don't. "Old Europe" and the US State Department with many of this ilk that don't -- no doubt when the smoke clears they will be badly shaken (not stirred).
Hoplite does his research and has a concise American style of writing -- he fits a mould Victor Davis Hanson has described a few times when denigrating academia. There are two events Hoplite will fight to the death every time: Racak and Aracinovo.
When the truth about these two events is finally known it will be a devastating blow to the West. With the war on terror and coming battle with Iraq the focus now, there are plenty of people in DC and London that want to see those events forgotten -- swept aside from the view of the taxpayer and citizen.
And in another age they would have been -- the internet and these type forums a powerful weapon for those who still believe in unfettered truth and the right of free Westerners to know...
**********
Wraith
It is good to see you about -- I figure you and your pals are very busy these days...
I can't begin to tell you how concerned I am about the coming Islamic entente strike on London. Some of the senior Brits took high level briefings when Blair visited the States last week and they seem to be on the ball and doing everything they can.
I don't think it will be enough...
One never wants to get emotional about these things so as to keep a clear head -- and thus from a games theory perspective the Islamic entente plan is sound: Massive OK City style explosion(s) in the Financial District and by the water -- combined with their very best doing some big game hunting. If they successfully execute this attack they will win the war with one lightning coup de main as the shaky Western resolve collapses.
And in the Balkans the death squads are roaming once more...
Keep your head down...
The forces of freedom on the move. Europe trembles.
Enjoy.
At this picture, there were at least 50-60 people at the bus stand where this destroyed Serbian Church sits. This weekend, I should have majority of the pics available to view.
From Uzice to Presevo, the flash card bugged out on me and I lost all the pics. Including the one where I took a few pictures south of Presevo enroute to the Kosovo border where I was following a horse-pulled buggy wagon. That includes the incident where I was chased by a John Al-Farooq Hachim Deere Tractor. The Albanian obviously did not appreciate my taking of pictures.
Be sure to visit Serbian Cycling Challenge 2004
Oh, yes. I did not see any destroyed mosques as they were obviously replaced. Though, majority of the Serbian Churches are still abandoned as the church grounds are used for vehicle storage and animal grazing by the new inhabitants. I could not cross onto these grounds like I did last year of April 2003. Barbed wire was strewn across since that time, plus I had my bike and would not leave it to be stolen.
bump
Good to hear from you again.
The church in you picture strongly resembles a church outside of Zvornick, near the turnoff to the former FOB Connor.
I recall many churches under various stages of reconstruction,especially on the route between Tuzla and Zvornik, but the locals said they didn't have the same funding which was supplied by the Saudi's for mosque's.
A success story was east on the road towards Zvornick, not far from the village of Kalesia, where a church was completed fairly quickly.
Thanks for the ping ma bell. Great pictures! My, what a blue sky in Tuzla. Any Krajina pix? The road from about Maja up to Zirovac must have been tiring. It's a pretty steady climb the whole way and gets rather steep up toward Zirovac.
Wonders, I will get the road/villages I hit while in Krajina. There was one mountain pass that destroyed me! It did not show up on my topo map and my body felt it!
To be honest, it was between 0400-0700 and dark and I did not want to use my flash to snap the pictures. Petrinje was heavily patrolled by the Police so that was out of the question.
I did ride all around Kalisija for half an hour and did not see any rebuilt Serb churches. However, the town is still half-destroyed with minor if any reconstruction being done. Seems they want the pockmarked/chipped buildings as a souvenir reminder of somekind. Who knows with those people in the Balkans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.