U.S. Sends Troops to Quell Kosovo Violence

[Seraphim]

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/nm/20040318/mdf499545.jpg

American NATO (news - web sites) peacekeepers man a check point on a road between Pristina and Mitrovica, Kosovo, one day after clashes between ethnic Albanians and Serbs, March 18, 2004. The White House said on Thursday it was sending a company of U.S. soldiers to Kosovo as part of a NATO effort to quell unrest in the mainly ethnic Albanian Serbian province, where violence has killed 22 people in the past 24 hours. (Hazir Reka/*******)



WASHINGTON (*******) - The White House said on Thursday it was sending a company of U.S. soldiers to Kosovo as part of a NATO (news - web sites) effort to quell unrest in the mainly ethnic Albanian Serbian province, where violence has killed 22 people in the past 24 hours.


"We are continuing to monitor the situation closely. We are working with NATO to deploy additional forces as a precaution. One U.S. company is en route as part of a 350 NATO force today," White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling to Kentucky with President Bush (news - web sites).


"We continue to call on all groups to end the violence and refrain from violence."


Britain also dispatched a force of rapid reaction troops to Kosovo, which is still recognized internationally as part of Serbia and Montenegro, the former rump Yugoslavia. It has been administered by NATO and the United Nations (news - web sites) with de facto independence from Belgrade since a NATO-led war drove out Yugoslav forces.


On Thursday, Albanians set fire to Serb churches in a second day of ethnic clashes, the worst in Kosovo since NATO and the United Nations seized control of the province from Serbia in 1999. Some 500 people have been injured, of whom 20 were in intensive care.

[aeternum]

Germany is sending as reinforcement the "Panzergrenadierbtl. 401" (600 soldiers) to Kosovo.

Who else is sending reinforcement and what units?

[UkrainianAmerican]

Wouldnt be bad if Russia sent some more KFOR.

[HELEX]

France sends 400, but no further Info so far.

[Dalleer]

Apparently the Finnish-Irish "brigade" has received reinforcements from the British due to this situation, and we have sent troops to assist the Swedish batallion in the southern side of Prishtina.

A number of about 1000 Albanians tried to break through a KFOR-defence line near Caglavica in order to get to a nearby village. Caglavica apparently falls under the command of the Swedish batallion.

The Albanians have also "pushed" our troops a bit, by throwing rocks at our troops and burning two vehicles.

Luckily none of our troops have received major injuries.


Here's some links to the stories (in Finnish!)


http://www.mil.fi/ruotuvaki/index.dsp?aid=411

http://www.mil.fi/ruotuvaki/index.dsp?aid=424

[Schwabo Elite]

THis was deleted due to outdated info.

SE

[Pille1234]

Hey aeternum...

In case you are German, please do not post unit names, troop size, names and so forth. TOZZ should have a meaning for you, in case you served.

Thanks

SE
:cantbeli:
Because this is super secret information: http://www.bundeswehr.de/wir/einsatz/040319_mip_kfor.php
just in case you want to know when and where they leave...

[aeternum]

Hey aeternum...

In case you are German, please do not post unit names, troop size, names and so forth. TOZZ should have a meaning for you, in case you served.

Thanks

SE

Yes, i am german and yes, i served and yes .... :cantbeli:

[Schwabo Elite]

Ok hast ja recht...

Just didn't know they already released the number of the Btl.

SE

[AK-Lover]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself.

[UkrainianAmerican]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself.
You got a point.

[EODSGT]

AK,

As a recent SFOR peackeeper, let me say this: I don't think you know much about the soldiers you're talking about.

To a man, none of us wants to see the region destabilize into the frenzy of the past. I'd risk my life to accomplish the goal of keeping the peace. So will the members of KFOR that are currently in place.

It's really hard to sort out who's right and wrong over there - so you have to keep a tight focus on doing your job - Which is to keep both sides from escalating the conflict. I hope they're succsessful. The world watched the Balkans devour itself once, and I'm hoping for humanities' sake it doesn't happen again.

[RSK]

Cheers EODSGT

RSK

[Ichhabe]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself.

While you sit in your comfy home safe and sound over in Canada, there are NATO-soldiers out there protecting your people.

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=755533


Soldiers injured in Kosovo unrest

Norwegian soldiers serving with NATO peacekeeping forces in Kosovo were among those injured in one of the bloodiest days of unrest since the end of the Kosovo war in 1999. Twenty Norwegians were hurt in rioting and violence that left at least 10 dead and hundreds injured.

Fighting broke out in every major city in the province between Serbs and Albanians. Ethnic Albanians blamed Serbs for the drownings of two children, and set Serb homes, churches and cars on fire.

Norwegian soldiers took part in the fighting Wednesday night. Officer Nils Hanheide told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that one local man was killed when the Norwegian soldiers opened fire against a car that tried to break through a blockade.

Eight of those killed around Kosovo were Albanians. Several French soldiers also were injured in the fighting.

The Norwegian soldiers were fighting south of the capital of Pristina. Several hundred Norwegians were sent there to stop Albanians who tried to make their way to a Serbian town.

Aid workers tied to Norwegian Church Aid (Kirkens Noedhjelp) closed two offices in Mitrovica because of the unrest. One staffer reported the situation was tense, and Serbians she'd talked with feared the Albanians would storm their homes and set them on fire.

The breakdown of law and order indicated how UN and NATO forces have failed to snuff out ethnic hatreds and usher in reconciliation.

Now I got a revelation here you see: Just because you are 17 years old, and from were you are; then you dont have the knowledge, neither the understanding that there are actually total strangers that voulentaraly put them self in harms way to protect people that they normally would never ever have met if not they was'nt send to that or this country.

How dare you come up with such accusation on what NATO's agenda in Kosovo are, when your ass hair ain't fully grown???

And that is not meant as an insult; adult men do actually grow ass hair. Just have a look in a few years time.

[AK-Lover]

umm, and you do!? :bash:

[Ichhabe]

umm, and you do!? :bash:

If you really want to know: Yes.

[AK-Lover]

I beleive you. :)

[Haiw]

I beleive you. :)
Chances are Ichhabe has been in Kosovo more than you...

[AK-Lover]

I beleive NATO troops are there to "protect" the civilians and "keep the peace" but tge overall goal is probably much more than that. Do you think NATO would want to risk profesional soldiers lives who they or that soldiers country spent so much money training to separate two groups of people who have been at each others throat for almost as long as they lived together? I wouldn't if the country to who those people belong to could solve the situation themselves, I would support that country . But here is where they screwed themselves over with the Clinton administrations pro-muslim policy in the balkans. It wouldn't really work if after almost 9 years of anti-serb bull**** in western media they decided to support serbs would it? Of course not! So basically while NATO troops are keeping the peace and such the big overall goal is to establish more bases closer to russia for "influence" or what I like to think of as bullying of smaller countries. :D Is there anymore russian troops in kosovo anymore?

[Pille1234]

OMFG! I can't believe it! Do you really believe in your conspiracy theories? Establish bases closer to Russia? Geography is not your strength, is it? Go, look at a map. Bullying smaller countries? For what, why spending a huge amount of money and resources of the overstreched defence budget? 'We' influence these small countries with our powerful economy, no need for military actions, but right now there is nothing to gain but problems. So why are we there? I tell you:
Europeans (and US ppl) don't like to watch massacres on TV, it makes us feel bad. As long as that happens in Africa without a CNN camera close, that's fine, we can live with that, but not here, on our developed continent with our progressive society. And we don't want to have thousands of refugees again all across europe. It's that simple. We don't have any interest to suppress serbs, we don't have problems with russia, the € is strong enough and we are not looking for oil in Yugoslavia.

[AK-Lover]

no but only place on earth with 80% pure rich uranium. :D

[HELEX]

The USA and Europe have enough Uranium and Plutonium for the next 1000 Years :cantbeli:

[AK-Lover]

but not as pure as that! :D

[HELEX]

No, much purer than that. Germany alone has 48 Tons of Plutonium good for nothing, thats enough for 10000 Warheads.

Nobody wants that stupid Uranium. :bash:

[AK-Lover]

Aye pavore, shutup! God my head hearts with this stupid CNN bull****, just admit it you're there to rob the nearby countries assure future power positions and not there to really "help". Justy as is said "if you want to help somebody, tell them to help themselves" So you nice NATO boys need to pack em' and rack em' and head on home, this isn't you're problem, go back to you're girlfriends and momma's and enjoy life! :D Let us deal with our own problems, now that we have a "democratic" government in place and a more proffesional army you can hand back to us what is rightfully ours, thank you and DON'T come again! :lol:

[AK-Lover]

OUT and WORD! BIZNATCH! rofl

[ibstolidude]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, Which is why no NATO deaths and injuries have happened in the Balkans...oh wait umm nevermind. If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) I did and all I can come up with is - that is probably the reason NO country asked you to serve. NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself. We bases that is it.... NATO wants bases to protect in case of a russian advance. Strategically Kosovo is an excellant position except for the fact that Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine ALL LIE inbetween russian and Serbia! - not to mention we have had a base in Macedonia for many many years. plus Kosovo would be way better than say using a NATO member like Poland :roll:

[Ichhabe]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, Which is why no NATO deaths and injuries have happened in the Balkans...oh wait umm nevermind. If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) I did and all I can come up with is - that is probably the reason NO country asked you to serve. NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself. We bases that is it.... NATO wants bases to protect in case of a russian advance. Strategically Kosovo is an excellant position except for the fact that Bulgaria, Romania and the Ukraine ALL LIE inbetween russian and Serbia! - not to mention we have had a base in Macedonia for many many years. plus Kosovo would be way better than say using a NATO member like Poland :roll:

Plaese, dontt repust AK-Låves phots. Ai gat a bet litle stoopider eech taim Ai reed it.

[OldRecon]

I just got a revelation, one from which I received from my father, don't flame me this is just my opinion, the NATO troopers there don't want to get involved, there not there to die for somebody they don't know or care about, If I was a soldier somewhere in the middle of nowhere,Cambodia,Rwanda and two different groups were going at killing each other I wouldn't want to get involved, if they want to slaughter each other then go ahead, I wouldn't care, (just think about it carefully) NATO is just there to establish bases against any possible again possible russian advance in the future. I think the only people who can protect the serbian people against this unjustified violence are russia or serbia itself.

Well, if a Norwegian serving for NATO down there in Kosovo today don't really care about the locals I guess that you can also say with good conscience that I didn't care a **** about the Lebanese and Israelis when I served with the Norwegian UN battalion in Lebanon (and of course or real mission down there was to check any Soviet moves in the region?? rofl rofl rofl)?

As for the present trouble, scaring a bunch of kids into a river with dogs isn't good behaviour whatever angle you look at it.
But on the other hand bringing those dog owners to justice should be a police matter and not the job of a big mob of Albanians.
And if "it just isn't like that down here", you've definitely got something to work on because it should be like that, and ONLY be like that. Period. :bash:
What good does all these accusations and acts of violence from each side against the other lead too? Well, if you guys want to continue as a bunch of poor and grudgeful sobs with blooded hands, I guess you just want us to leave you to it and not care a **** about the well being of either Serbs, Albanians, Bosnians, Croats, Montenegrins or Slovenians? :roll:

[wholagun]

actually your wrong Hungary has the purest **** on the earth just doesn't have that much of it (im not sure how much exactly). Canada is the largest uranium cartel nation in the world, I believe Canada has the most Uranium and is the largest exporter of it.

[wholagun]

Aye pavore, shutup! God my head hearts with this stupid CNN bull****, just admit it you're there to rob the nearby countries assure future power positions and not there to really "help". Justy as is said "if you want to help somebody, tell them to help themselves" So you nice NATO boys need to pack em' and rack em' and head on home, this isn't you're problem, go back to you're girlfriends and momma's and enjoy life! :D Let us deal with our own problems, now that we have a "democratic" government in place and a more proffesional army you can hand back to us what is rightfully ours, thank you and DON'T come again! :lol:

Dude so your fvcking retarded. Slovenia is joing the EU this May Croatia is a cadidate as is Romania, its of key importance to keep peace is the region and not destabilize it, also Europeans don't want to have to carry the burden of haveing all those refugees. Really you think the US and Europe has big aspirations with those small little internatially isgnificant states down is the Balkans? Your so full of yourself. :cantbeli:

[Kellhound]

There is no way to stop those pesky ignorant kids joining these forums?
:backhand:

By the way, anybody knows how things are going in Prizren. I was posted there last year at German HQ and have a couple of friends around there.

[AK-Lover]

you morons read the threads UMNIK established from one of the kids themselves that there where no serbs involved in the drownings. The muslims just used this to try and clean out kosovo.

[OldRecon]

you morons read the threads UMNIK established from one of the kids themselves that there where no serbs involved in the drownings. The muslims just used this to try and clean out kosovo.

Yeah, but will we let them do it???
Don't think so really. But to reclaim property one must be brave enough to either stay or move back in.
Though looking at what's going on nowdays one wonders how those communities got along under Tito.
I know some bad things were said about the man after his death, and he most certainly wasn't a soft man. Yet at least he managed to keep the nazis within each of the ethnic groups then constituting Yugoslavia in check, and establish some kind of stability.
Think someone mentioned Gorbachev as one of the worst leaders of the nation in Russian history, in that he didn't manage to keep Soviet union Inc. together (sort of can understand that view too). Yet he did manage to squabble things in USSR a bit more peacefully than Milo in Yugoslavia.

[AK-Lover]

Tito was a great man, he had a form of communism that worked and ask almost anybody in yugoslavia and they would say that they would like to live under somebody like tito again. woot

[MetalBoy]

Tito was a great man, he had a form of communism that worked and ask almost anybody in yugoslavia and they would say that they would like to live under somebody like tito again. woot
:cantbeli: Read some unbiased history before you make such irrational claims.

[OldRecon]

[quote=AK-Lover]you morons read the threads UMNIK established from one of the kids themselves that there where no serbs involved in the drownings. The muslims just used this to try and clean out kosovo.

Clean out Kosovo, well do you really think we would let them to that??
As for that kid you mentioned, Was it the same boy I saw on the news here (a brother of one of those who drowned aparently), telling about being threathened having dogs let loose on him, and running away to the river bank???
Though looking at what's going on nowdays one wonders how those communities got along under Tito.
I know some bad things were said about the man after his death, and he most certainly wasn't a soft man. Yet at least he managed to keep the nazis within each of the ethnic groups then constituting Yugoslavia in check, and establish some kind of stability.
Think someone mentioned Gorbachev as one of the worst leaders of the nation in Russian history, in that he didn't manage to keep Soviet union Inc. together (sort of can understand that view too). Yet he did manage to squabble things in USSR a bit more peacefully than Milo in Yugoslavia.

Just wondering a bit more AK-lover: Irrespective of how those kids eventualy came to drown in that river (looked like it was spring flood, from what I could see), do you think it was a good thing that they drowned? :|

[RATKO]

But to reclaim property one must be brave enough to either stay or move back in.

brave enough? it is very hard for Serbs to live in Kosovo and Metohija province since NATO came in They cant buy food,work,get medical treatmant without KFOR escort

[fantassin]

This is what I wrote in an other thread about Kosovo:

"For those reasons and many others, it's easier to like the Serbs better than the Albanians. That does not mean we have no problems with them; when I was in Kosovo, the ratio of "incidents" was probably 45% Albanians and 55% Serbs. The difference was that the Albanians used grenades and petrol bombs when the Serbs were using more stone and fists.

To sum it up, after seeing what I saw in Kosovo, I would not piss on an Albanian if he was on fire; they are the most deceiving, lying, untrustworthy bunch of quick-breeding scum I have ever met. And they are arriving exactly where they wanted to go from the beginning: ethnic cleansing of Kosovo by killing, kidnapping or threatening the minority Serbian population, what the UN accused the Serbs of originally doing.

With full US backing from day one"

[OldRecon]

This is what I wrote in an other thread about Kosovo:

"For those reasons and many others, it's easier to like the Serbs better than the Albanians. That does not mean we have no problems with them; when I was in Kosovo, the ratio of "incidents" was probably 45% Albanians and 55% Serbs. The difference was that the Albanians used grenades and petrol bombs when the Serbs were using more stone and fists.

To sum it up, after seeing what I saw in Kosovo, I would not piss on an Albanian if he was on fire; they are the most deceiving, lying, untrustworthy bunch of quick-breeding scum I have ever met. And they are arriving exactly where they wanted to go from the beginning: ethnic cleansing of Kosovo by killing, kidnapping or threatening the minority Serbian population, what the UN accused the Serbs of originally doing.

With full US backing from day one"

The Albanians sort of not war weary enough to accept a compromise yet?
But then is it logical to always accept that the once underdog will be moraly better than the once dominating dog? rofl :( (as if I expect the Palestinians to behave better and more fairly than the Israelis, when Israel some day cave in from outside pressure?? :| )
After all most peace-keeping missions are set in train when 2 or more parties disaggree among themselves to the point where they think they can achieve outright victory over the other.
I've presented one rather harsh question here, yet from other elements off what I've allready written above I'm shure you will understand I'm not all that impressed with the conduct of the Albanians in the present situation.
As far as me concerned, someone may have scared the kids to jump into that river, yet to use that as a pretext for mobilising mobs to go at the Serb communities in the region I definitely don't aggree with.
To establish and deliver justice with regards to the drowning incident should be, as I have allready stated, a police matter and nothing but a police matter.
That the Albanians react the way they do, maybe is a sign of an introverted culture rooted to its lands/farming plots, thus being naturaly tempted with the prospect of aquiring more farming lands through taking it from their enemy.

[RATKO]

The Albanians sort of not war weary enough to accept a compromise yet?
No why should they be? They have full support of UNMIK administration for what they are doing in Kosovo and Metohija province today

[RATKO]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/16.jpg

[RATKO]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/17.jpg

[RATKO]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/18.jpg

[RATKO]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/19.jpg

[fantassin]

I'd be interested if you could post a map of the city of Mitrovica. I could see the evolution from my last stay there...

[RATKO]

Nice job from UN,NATO,OSCE and others Thank you very much for giving us democrasy,freedom and hope

[fantassin]

When we were controlling Serbs at our check points, they were always saying "Wait a few years and when there will be moslem-created troubles in your country, we will be the one doing check-points in the streets of Paris, Bonn and London."

I hope they will be wrong but I could really feel for them.

The worst was when a black police officer from the UNMIK coming from Ghana, Nigeria or Kenya for example would stop a Serb; you could tell how humiliating it was for him to be stopped, in his own country, by a black man coming from the third world...

[RATKO]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/15.jpg

[RSK]

Tito was a great man, he had a form of communism that worked and ask almost anybody in yugoslavia and they would say that they would like to live under somebody like tito again. woot

AK Lover Nemoj Slucajno da mi se javis vise!

[RATKO]

pusti klinca ne zna gde je supalj

[Truthsayer]

http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/15.jpg

Albanians have lost more every noted time-period there...and the last two shows no record at all so we can compare.

( http://www.serbia.sr.gov.yu/coordination_centre/15.jpg )

[AK-Lover]

Calm down guys, I was just joking. But you do have to admit that it was alot better under him than it was under milosevic? :D At least that's what my grandparents and parents think. You know with peace and stability and all. :D :hug: