scoone
03-08-2004, 02:11 PM
THE BALKANS: Al Qaeda Radio Station in Bosnia
March 3, 2004: UN administrators in Kosovo rejected a Serb proposal to “cantonize” Kosovo. “Cantonization” is division of the province along ethnic lines. In fact, similar proposals were made in 1999. The Serb government believes this is the best deal it can get for Kosovar Serbs. UNMIK released a statement assuring Kosovars the UN Security Council would make decisions regarding Kosovo’s “final status,” not Serbia. The Kosovo government also rejected the Serbian offer.
In Bosnia, SFOR reported that its troops arrested a Bosnian Serb suspected of war crimes. Former Bosnian Serb General Bogdan Subotic was arrested in Banja Luka .From 1992-1995 he was the Bosnian Serb Minister of Defense. A subsequent report said that Subotic is also “suspected” of helping chief war crime suspect Radovan Karadzic evade arrest. Perhaps SFOR is (finally) closing the net on Karadzic.
Also from Bosnia: Bosnian Islamic Radio Naba (yes, it exists) ran a series of statements about the attacks on Shias in Baghdad and Karbala, Iraq, that sound like propaganda straight from Al Qaeda. Here’s one of the statements: “There is no doubt whatsoever that suicide or any other terrorist attacks on Shiites in Baghdad and Karbala are the doing of US intelligence services. For, how else can there be an explanation for the footage of the explosions being broadcast to the world almost live, as a sensation of the first order?...However, the message and the conclusion are painfully clear: the most important thing now is to create a rift between Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis, open a new internal Muslim front where Muslim youth will get killed daily, thus exhaust themselves and weaken themselves. At the same time, the US will be exhausting Iraqi oil reserves and transferring its oil to the USA.” Radio Naba’s agitprop doesn’t stop there. The Islamist radio service also suggested the US was behind the death of Macedonia’s president. Is this an example of a “coordinated” Al Qaeda information campaign? Not necessarily– but it is an example of how a “network of the faithful” can magnify the worst lies.
February 28, 2004: On February 26 a plane carrying Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski crashed in Bosnia. On February 27 the plane crash was located in what proved to be an old minefield between Mostaf and Stolac. Trajkovsi was confirmed dead. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. While the incident and the loss of human live are tragic, Macedonia’s political reaction has been calm. There are no signs of either a short-term or long-term political crisis.
February 26, 2004: Turkey indicted 69 alleged Al Qaeda members for participating in or facilitating terror bomb attacks in Istanbul in November 2003. Two Synagogues were bombed on November 15. The HSBC Bank and the British consulate in Istanbul were attacked on November 20. Altogether, 63 were killed in the attacks and over 700 people were wounded. The prosecutor’s indictment said that the terrorists also intended to attack the big NATO airbase at Incirlik, Turkey, and an Israeli passenger ship docked at the Turkish port of Alanya. Israeli tourists do visit southern Turkey’s resort areas. Turkey and Cyprus are the only two “local stops” available to Israeli vacationers. Apparently the security ring around Incirlik (and most of the security is provided by Turkish forces) stopped that attack. The terror group then went looking for “softer targets.” That meant urban targets in Istanbul.
February 21, 2004: NATO has officially offered to provide additional security assistance to Greece for the upcoming Olympics. This is a historic offer of sorts: NATO is offering alliance troops to help protect a sports event. Of course the Olympics isn’t a normal sports tournament. It is precisely the kind of “global icon target” terrorists seek. The media “magnification” of an attack on the Olympics would be instant. Greece has not made a formal request to NATO, but every nation in the alliance knows that Athens and the rest of Greece become a prime target this summer. Recall NATO invoked the mutual defense clause of the NATO charter after the US was attacked on 9/11. What could NATO provide? (1) More troops. Military police are key but also special operations troops (Delta, SAS and GSG-9) experienced in hostage rescue.(2) Increased sea control and surveillance capabilities, particularly if US Navy and Royal Navy ships are added to the mix. This isn’t simply surface surveillance. Add US or British nuclear subs for underwater surveillance, and even more exotic sensors. (3) Improved air surveillance and control. AWACS aircraft fly under the Luxembourg flag, but they are regarded as an “all alliance” asset. AWACS would be tasked to provide pinpoint air control around the entire region. (4) Emergency medical assets. The potential exists for mass casualties, particularly if the terrorists set off a chemical or radiological weapon. Military casualty evacuation and mass medical assistance capabilities would be extremely useful if “the worst case” occurs. (Austin Bay)
February 20, 2004: Greece announced that it will deploy Greek Army troops to help provide security for the upcoming Athens Olympic games. The government plans on using a 10,000 troops “protection and patrol” contingent to help Greek police. The games run from August 13 through August 29, 2004. The unit will include members of the Air Force and Navy as well as the Army. A key mission is bomb disposal. The Athens Olympics are –obviously– a major terrorist target.
February 19, 2004: Serbia’s Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS, headed by Vojislav Kostunica) has negotiated a parliamentary deal with the G-17 Plus Party and The New Serbia Party. This coalition will now form a minority government. The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) will also join the coalition. This blocks former Serb dictator Slobodan Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)from playing a “king maker” role. However, a subsequent report said the SPS may attempt to join the coalition.
February 18, 2004: Western press sources have run a series of reports on new violence in Kosovo. It's been noted that the current violence looks like an “old style” of violence unfortunately all too familiar in the Balkans. That is the “blood feud.” Blood feuds savaged Albania for generations, though by no means are they confined to Albania or Balkan Albanian ethnic populations. One report from Kosovo used the term “honor killings.” The report tied the “honor killings” medieval Albanian tribal laws, specifically one called “The Canon of Lekee Dukagjini.” Honor killings occur in many cultures. Arab tribal honor killings underpin some violence inter-tribal and political violence in the Middle East. They also include more “personal” violent acts to include attacks on women suspected of adultery. Corsica and Sicily have histories of “blood vendettas.” The Albanian Balkanite version operates at clan, family and personal levels, and has led to generations of tit for tat attacks and murders. One source says The Canon of Lekee Dukagjini (also called Leke’s Law) provides a “legal sanction” for the feuds: “...If one man kills another, a male member of the victim's family must respond in kind." There are ways to negotiate release from this sanction, including giving pledges of security, payments of “blood money,” public reconciliation, etc. The return of “blood feud” may well relate to lack of faith in the legal system in Kosovo. Some human rights groups have reached that conclusion. Though UNMIK’s police have accomplished much during the UN mandate in Kosovo, the power of Balkan gangs to corrupt the legal process and the power of former Albanian guerrillas to intimidate witnesses has certainly sapped public confidence. In fact, on February 16, UN police arrested four former KLA guerrillas. The ex-guerrillas now serve in the Kosovo Protection Corps (TNK). The men are accused of murdering several Albanian Kosovars in 1998 and 1999. The people the men murdered were suspected of “collaborating with the Serb oppressors.” However, those arrests set off a series of street protests. While these may have been “political killings” the families of those murdered may not see it in those terms. They want justice.One source which said at least 40 murders in Kosovo (1999-2003) were blood feud-related killings. While that’s a large figure for such a small population, the more troubling aspect is that the number of revenge slayings may be increasing. One possible solution is a Kosovar “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” modeled after the post-apartheid commission in South Africa. (Austin Bay)
http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=BALKANS.HTM
March 3, 2004: UN administrators in Kosovo rejected a Serb proposal to “cantonize” Kosovo. “Cantonization” is division of the province along ethnic lines. In fact, similar proposals were made in 1999. The Serb government believes this is the best deal it can get for Kosovar Serbs. UNMIK released a statement assuring Kosovars the UN Security Council would make decisions regarding Kosovo’s “final status,” not Serbia. The Kosovo government also rejected the Serbian offer.
In Bosnia, SFOR reported that its troops arrested a Bosnian Serb suspected of war crimes. Former Bosnian Serb General Bogdan Subotic was arrested in Banja Luka .From 1992-1995 he was the Bosnian Serb Minister of Defense. A subsequent report said that Subotic is also “suspected” of helping chief war crime suspect Radovan Karadzic evade arrest. Perhaps SFOR is (finally) closing the net on Karadzic.
Also from Bosnia: Bosnian Islamic Radio Naba (yes, it exists) ran a series of statements about the attacks on Shias in Baghdad and Karbala, Iraq, that sound like propaganda straight from Al Qaeda. Here’s one of the statements: “There is no doubt whatsoever that suicide or any other terrorist attacks on Shiites in Baghdad and Karbala are the doing of US intelligence services. For, how else can there be an explanation for the footage of the explosions being broadcast to the world almost live, as a sensation of the first order?...However, the message and the conclusion are painfully clear: the most important thing now is to create a rift between Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis, open a new internal Muslim front where Muslim youth will get killed daily, thus exhaust themselves and weaken themselves. At the same time, the US will be exhausting Iraqi oil reserves and transferring its oil to the USA.” Radio Naba’s agitprop doesn’t stop there. The Islamist radio service also suggested the US was behind the death of Macedonia’s president. Is this an example of a “coordinated” Al Qaeda information campaign? Not necessarily– but it is an example of how a “network of the faithful” can magnify the worst lies.
February 28, 2004: On February 26 a plane carrying Macedonian president Boris Trajkovski crashed in Bosnia. On February 27 the plane crash was located in what proved to be an old minefield between Mostaf and Stolac. Trajkovsi was confirmed dead. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. While the incident and the loss of human live are tragic, Macedonia’s political reaction has been calm. There are no signs of either a short-term or long-term political crisis.
February 26, 2004: Turkey indicted 69 alleged Al Qaeda members for participating in or facilitating terror bomb attacks in Istanbul in November 2003. Two Synagogues were bombed on November 15. The HSBC Bank and the British consulate in Istanbul were attacked on November 20. Altogether, 63 were killed in the attacks and over 700 people were wounded. The prosecutor’s indictment said that the terrorists also intended to attack the big NATO airbase at Incirlik, Turkey, and an Israeli passenger ship docked at the Turkish port of Alanya. Israeli tourists do visit southern Turkey’s resort areas. Turkey and Cyprus are the only two “local stops” available to Israeli vacationers. Apparently the security ring around Incirlik (and most of the security is provided by Turkish forces) stopped that attack. The terror group then went looking for “softer targets.” That meant urban targets in Istanbul.
February 21, 2004: NATO has officially offered to provide additional security assistance to Greece for the upcoming Olympics. This is a historic offer of sorts: NATO is offering alliance troops to help protect a sports event. Of course the Olympics isn’t a normal sports tournament. It is precisely the kind of “global icon target” terrorists seek. The media “magnification” of an attack on the Olympics would be instant. Greece has not made a formal request to NATO, but every nation in the alliance knows that Athens and the rest of Greece become a prime target this summer. Recall NATO invoked the mutual defense clause of the NATO charter after the US was attacked on 9/11. What could NATO provide? (1) More troops. Military police are key but also special operations troops (Delta, SAS and GSG-9) experienced in hostage rescue.(2) Increased sea control and surveillance capabilities, particularly if US Navy and Royal Navy ships are added to the mix. This isn’t simply surface surveillance. Add US or British nuclear subs for underwater surveillance, and even more exotic sensors. (3) Improved air surveillance and control. AWACS aircraft fly under the Luxembourg flag, but they are regarded as an “all alliance” asset. AWACS would be tasked to provide pinpoint air control around the entire region. (4) Emergency medical assets. The potential exists for mass casualties, particularly if the terrorists set off a chemical or radiological weapon. Military casualty evacuation and mass medical assistance capabilities would be extremely useful if “the worst case” occurs. (Austin Bay)
February 20, 2004: Greece announced that it will deploy Greek Army troops to help provide security for the upcoming Athens Olympic games. The government plans on using a 10,000 troops “protection and patrol” contingent to help Greek police. The games run from August 13 through August 29, 2004. The unit will include members of the Air Force and Navy as well as the Army. A key mission is bomb disposal. The Athens Olympics are –obviously– a major terrorist target.
February 19, 2004: Serbia’s Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS, headed by Vojislav Kostunica) has negotiated a parliamentary deal with the G-17 Plus Party and The New Serbia Party. This coalition will now form a minority government. The Serbian Renewal Movement (SPO) will also join the coalition. This blocks former Serb dictator Slobodan Milosevic's Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS)from playing a “king maker” role. However, a subsequent report said the SPS may attempt to join the coalition.
February 18, 2004: Western press sources have run a series of reports on new violence in Kosovo. It's been noted that the current violence looks like an “old style” of violence unfortunately all too familiar in the Balkans. That is the “blood feud.” Blood feuds savaged Albania for generations, though by no means are they confined to Albania or Balkan Albanian ethnic populations. One report from Kosovo used the term “honor killings.” The report tied the “honor killings” medieval Albanian tribal laws, specifically one called “The Canon of Lekee Dukagjini.” Honor killings occur in many cultures. Arab tribal honor killings underpin some violence inter-tribal and political violence in the Middle East. They also include more “personal” violent acts to include attacks on women suspected of adultery. Corsica and Sicily have histories of “blood vendettas.” The Albanian Balkanite version operates at clan, family and personal levels, and has led to generations of tit for tat attacks and murders. One source says The Canon of Lekee Dukagjini (also called Leke’s Law) provides a “legal sanction” for the feuds: “...If one man kills another, a male member of the victim's family must respond in kind." There are ways to negotiate release from this sanction, including giving pledges of security, payments of “blood money,” public reconciliation, etc. The return of “blood feud” may well relate to lack of faith in the legal system in Kosovo. Some human rights groups have reached that conclusion. Though UNMIK’s police have accomplished much during the UN mandate in Kosovo, the power of Balkan gangs to corrupt the legal process and the power of former Albanian guerrillas to intimidate witnesses has certainly sapped public confidence. In fact, on February 16, UN police arrested four former KLA guerrillas. The ex-guerrillas now serve in the Kosovo Protection Corps (TNK). The men are accused of murdering several Albanian Kosovars in 1998 and 1999. The people the men murdered were suspected of “collaborating with the Serb oppressors.” However, those arrests set off a series of street protests. While these may have been “political killings” the families of those murdered may not see it in those terms. They want justice.One source which said at least 40 murders in Kosovo (1999-2003) were blood feud-related killings. While that’s a large figure for such a small population, the more troubling aspect is that the number of revenge slayings may be increasing. One possible solution is a Kosovar “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” modeled after the post-apartheid commission in South Africa. (Austin Bay)
http://www.strategypage.com//fyeo/qndguide/default.asp?target=BALKANS.HTM