Posted on 03/15/2005 12:50:05 PM PST by Alex Marko
So, as a proud freeper and american, I decided to lay out some details about the Kosovo conflict and its rebel groups ties to al qaeda. And I ask the question to every american... How does it make you feel knowing the Bill Clinton supported an islamic insurgency against Christians?
1. Commander Kosovo- Abu Sayyaf al qaeda linked terrorist that recieved his nickname by fighting "the cause" in Kosovo with the KLA.
2. Interpol testified before congress on the KLA-Bin laden links... "In 1998, the U.S. State Department listed the KLA as a terrorist organization, indicating that it was financing its operations with money from theinternational heroin trade and loans from Islamic countries and individuals, among them allegedly Usama bin Laden.
Another link to bin Laden is the fact that the brother of a leader in an Egyptian Djihad organization and also a military commander of Usama bin Laden, was leading an elite KLA unit during the Kosovo conflict. In 1998, the KLA was described as a key player in the drugs for arms business in 1998, "helping to transport 2 billion USD worth of drugs annually into Western Europe"
3. Wall Street Journal- ""For the past 10 years, the most senior leaders of al Qaeda have visited the Balkans, including bin Laden himself on three occasions between 1994 and 1996. The Egyptian surgeon turned terrorist leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri has operated terrorist training camps, weapons of mass destruction factories and money-laundering and drug-training networks throughout the Balkans."
4. Yossef Bodansky( Director of the House of Representatives Task Force on Terrorism )- "The mujahideen established close relations with the key clans from the Drenica area in central Kosovo, the birthplace of the UCK, including Suleyman Selimi, "the Sultan," who comes from this area and is commander in chief of the UCK forces inside Kosovo. In these operations the mujahideen have already demonstrated their fearlessness and all-out commitment to the Muslim population." "It was not until 1995 that the Clinton administration was forced to start pursuing the Islamist network in the Balkans. Not quite a month after the Dayton accords had been signed in November 1995, an influx of Iranian arms came into Bosnia with the apparent tacit approval of the administration, in violation of U.N. sanctions. While publicly pressing Bosnian President Alia Izebegovic to purge remaining Islamist elements, the administration was loath to confront Sarajevo and Tehran over their presence. Islamist infiltration of the Kosovo Liberation Army advanced, meanwhile. Bin Laden is said to have visited Albania in 1996 and 1997, according to the murder-trial testimony of an Algerian-born French national, Claude Kader, himself an Afghanistan-trained mujahideen fronting at the Albanian-Arab Islamic Bank. He recruited some Albanians to fight with the KLA in Kosovo, according to the Paris-based Observatoire Geopolitique des Drogues.
Controversial Relationship
By early 1998 the U.S. had already entered into its controversial relationship with the KLA to help fight off Serbian oppression of that province. While in February the U.S. gave into KLA demands to remove it from the State Department´s terrorism list, the gesture amounted to little. That summer the CIA and CIA-modernized Albanian intelligence (SHIK) were engaged in one of the largest seizures of Islamic Jihad cells operating in Kosovo.
Fearing terrorist reprisal from al Qaeda, the U.S. temporarily closed its embassy in Tirana and a trip to Albania by then Defense Secretary William Cohen was canceled out of fear of an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Albanian separatism in Kosovo and Metohija was formally characterized as a "jihad" in October 1998 at an annual international Islamic conference in Pakistan. "
5. LONDON (AP) The man accused of orchestrating the U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa operates a terrorist network out of Albania that has infiltrated other parts of Europe, The Sunday Times reported.
The newspaper quoted Fatos Klosi, the head of the Albanian intelligence service, as saying a network run by Saudi exile Osama Bin Laden sent units to fight in the Serbian province of Kosovo.
and finally ...
6. The following reports note the presence of foreign mujahedin (i.e., Islamic holy warriors) in the Kosovo war, some of them jihad veterans from Bosnia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan. Some of the reports specifically cite assets of Iran or bin-Ladin, or both, in support of the KLA.
"Mujahidin fighters have joined the Kosovo Liberation Army, dimming prospects of a peaceful solution to the conflict and fuelling fears of heightened violence next spring.. . . . Their arrival in Kosovo may force Washington to review its policy in the Serbian province and will deepen Western dismay with the KLA and its tactics- The Times (London), 11/26/98]
". . . By late 1997, the Tehran-sponsored training and preparations of the Liberation Army of Kosovo ... Tehran's primary objective in Kosovo has evolved from merely assisting a Muslim minority in distress to furthering the consolidation of the Islamic strategic axis along the Sarajevo-to-Tirane line.... In the Fall of 1997, the uppermost leadership in Tehran ordered the IRGC [Revolutionary Guards] High Command to launch a major program for shipping large quantities of weapons and other military supplies to the Albanian clandestine organisations in Kosovo... Khamene'i's instructions specifically stipulated that the comprehensive military assistance was aimed to enable the Muslims 'to achieve the independence' of the province of Kosovo. . . . [B]y early December 1997, Iranian intelligence had already delivered the first shipments of hand grenades, machine-guns, assault rifles, night vision equipment, and communications gear from stockpiles in Albania into Kosovo.- by Yossef Bodansky, Defense and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy (London), February 1998. Bodansky is Director of the House Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. This report was written in late 1997, before the KLA's offensive in early 1998.]
USA Republican Policy Committee Larry E. Craig, March 31, 1999
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/fr033199.htm
We gave the KLA a choice in 1998 between working with Al Qaeda, and forgoing any American assistance whatsoever, or shunning Al Qaeda.
The KLA chose to avoid building ties with Al Qaeda, and as a result, our troops have operated in both Kosovo and Albania without the problems that come from operating in the same area as Al Qaeda that we're seeing in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Give it up, Alex - you're about as Albanian as Fusion was. Trying to portray the KLA as being an "Islamic insurgency" is just stupid, and a dead giveaway at that.
Ping
You won't get many hits on this one since most Freepers supported Clinton and his war on the Christians...
Oh, Albanian I am 100%. Kosovar Albanians are muslims that have fundamentalists running amuck over there. Besides narco-trafficking, and prositution rings...the KLA are involved in MANY criminal circles with links to the middle east. Just because i'm anti-KLA doesnt mean i'm anti-Albanian. Even Albania wants nothing to do with Kosovo. So before you speak up about discredited "BS", learn that most of albania loathes kosovar albanians. And going back to "discredited BS", i agree the KLA were given a choice between NATO and al qaeda, but it doesnt take away from the fact that they provided money and arms to the KLA and had informal ties before Clinton imposed his will there. I quoted the ALBANIAN intel chief, and Yossef Bodansky who was the Congressional committee director for counter-terrorism. Its kinda hard to call those two sources "full of bs".
Personally, I felt betrayed by Bill Clinton and believe he misused national assets to fight the wrong enemy. OTPOR actually changed the Serb Republic more than all the bombs we dropped. Kosovo is IN Serbia. KLA should all be tracked down and killed for their crimes. Yes, Al-Quaida is their ally and we aided them.
Based upon what? Hysterical tracts from the lunatic fringe of Serb nationalism on the web?
We've been in Kosovo for 6 years now, yet we haven't had the troubles we've had in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or the Philippines - you know, places where al qaeda or its affiliates are active.
So let's review, huh Alex? You agree that the KLA were given a choice, yet you're posting material from 1999 when the 6 years since have laid the concerns which arose from that choice to rest - al qaeda has not been embraced by either the KLA or Albanians.
All you're left with is the hope that you can get a consolation prize for portraying the K-Albanians as islamic fundamentalists, but given their rejection of al qaeda, that's a non-starter, and makes about as much sense as trying to portray Slobodan Milosevic's regime as being christian.
PS: Yossef Bodansky = BS. He's relegated himself to skipping around the globe alongside another Serbian tool, Gregory Copley, handing out "ISSA Gold Star Medals of Achievment" to whatever world leaders are in need of trinkets.
This war I never understood.
Of course it has to be a 'wrong' war, if clinton approved it.
I have found ties to al Qaeda and tried to understand why clinton took a country and gave it to people with al Qaeda ties.
granny, Governor Bush of Texas backed the war as well; and as presidential candidate he castigated Gore for ruling out ground troops in Kosovo. President Bush has been in office for the past four years now and under him, Rice, Powell, and Rumsfeld the Kosovo policy has remained consistent with that of the Clinton administration. You can even draw a connection all the way back to the first President Bush's 1992 "Christmas Warning" in which he warned Milosevic that the US would use military force to stop Serb depredations against the Albanians in Kosovo.
As for the propaganda about al Qaeda running rampant in Kosovo, Hoplite demolishes that pretty thoroughly in post 7 above.
You might also consider that, implicit in your idea of al Qaeda in Kosovo is that President Bush & Secretaries Rumsfeld & Powell & our military commanders are willing to tolerate al Qaeda operating right under our noses instead of using the couple thousand U.S. military and police we have in that 60 mile x 60 mile province to go after them.
Listen. I dont like the serbs anymore than you do. However, the KLA are a MAFIA. They exploit young girls for prostitution and run drug rings around europe, your portrayal of the KLA as a noble force wont fly. I've been there, i lived in albania. You were probably just a soldier there and what you see on the surface isnt always the truth. The KLA came INTO albania(tirana) and would snatch up young guys and force them to fight. Their croonies burned a few churches in Albania also(one being my fathers village). So dont tell me about he KLA and its thugs.
And the fact that OUR military under Clinton was flying arab fighters along with the KLA in US helicopters to positions in Kosovo? Boy, did the Clinton admin. do a great job of blinding you guys to what happened in conflict. What about the fact that the KLA killed albanians also? Do you mention that? or even address it?
Horsefeathers, Alex. That simply did not happen. You've been drinking too much Balkans sidewalk cafe conspiro-coffee.
Thank you for the information.
I will have to think about it.
Mark, i respect your opinion, but you have been fed US foreign policy during the conflict and its very one sided. Dont get me wrong, i will always support the US in any conflict, but Clinton made a mistake on this and ignoring it and following his policy is an even bigger mistake.
If you're concerned about the KLA's organized crime record, why did you post a bunch of obsolete garbage about Al Qaeda?
because the KLA was linked, even informally, with al qaeda in the beginning. Their criminal activities produce money that al qaeda feeds off of. Why do you support a group that islamic terror groups and islamic regimes have stated goals for that european territory??
Guess what, Alex - a lot of the guys we're working with in Afghanistan worked with the Taleban and Al Qaeda back in the day.
The reason we wound up on the same side as the KLA was because Slobodan Milosevic was on the other side, and he was a damn sight bigger of a problem than the KLA ever was or has been.
Get a friggin' clue already.
LOL, listen. Thanks for your service to the country. But, when it comes to islamic groups in the Balkans. You have no idea what you are talking about. I suppose that Bosnia didnt have ANY arab mujihadeen either? LOL. I suppose you can sit there and tell me there was NO arab fighters in Kosovo prior to Nato involvement? I was in albania and saw quite a few travel from Rines and Durres in vans to the north. But i suppose you will say I was just seeing things. Guess what? Your military teachs you not to question your superiors(which you shouldnt) but i guess the saying goes... What you dont know, wont hurt you. Keep supporting the KLA and Ramush Haradinaj..oh yah.. how is ole Mushi doing?
Whatever, Alex.
Blather away.
| Larger size photo/pdf file (750 kb) of the Vecernje Novosti article is available on: http://www.kosovo.com/kla_decapit.jpg http://www.kosovo.com/kla_decapit.pdf |
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