-Caveat Lector- THE TIMES (6/25/99) Albanians claiming to be KLA guerrillas are seizing property abandoned by Serbs, writes Daniel McGrory in Pristina Gangsters cash in on Kosovo rebirth THEY pose as heroes who fought for the Kosovo Liberation Army but many of the gunmen appearing in Pristina are simply gangsters wanting to profit from the millions to be spent on reconstruction. British officers fear some of these gangs will try to take over businesses abandoned by Serbs and muscle in on ambitious schemes to rebuild Kosovo. The concern is that the new civil police force being set up, with volunteers from Britain and other countries, will not be as well armed as the local mafia of ethnic Albanians that is already making its sinister presence felt. These gangs have been involved in gun battles, which are so commonplace they go largely unreported. They excuse their behaviour as the taking of revenge on collaborators or Serb security men who have discarded their uniforms but who have yet to leave Kosovo. One senior Army source said: "They are like the IRA and other paramilitaries in Northern Ireland who wrap themselves in the flag and are treated as folk heroes by many in their own community and yet all they are is gangsters. So many men are claiming to have fought with the KLA and yet we know during the conflict that the numbers in Pristina were very small." A British patrol intercepted such a group earlier this week in a new Mercedes. The men were dressed in expensive casual clothes but the car boot was stuffed full of grenades, guns and body armour. They immediately claimed to be KLA fighters. A local commander was summoned who disowned the men as imposters. All four had spent the war and most of the past year sheltering in Germany. All the British troops could do was take away their guns. Such a gang was seen looting a Serb store in the centre of the capital earlier this week. By the time troops arrived, the store had been picked clean and another shop was free for the gang to occupy. Efforts are being made to ensure these renegades do not get hold of such official documents as remain in the municipal headquarters in Pristina that they could use to falsify claims of ownership to properties and businesses. The influence of the gangs is to be found in other towns, including Prizren in western Kosovo, where local warlords are seen sitting at caf� tables with their limousines parked close by. Guns are not on show, but can be seen under the jackets of minders who hover in the shadows. "All they do is stick a red and black KLA badge on a baseball cap or a black jacket and everyone treats them like returning heroes," the army source said. "The potential for making money is huge with the amounts of aid that is going to be pumped here." As British troops have quickly discovered, the region is awash in weapons. "The genuine KLA leadership is very responsible and co-operative," the source said. "It is willing to demilitarise, and is worried that the renegades will give them all a bad name by their behaviour." At the end of the war the Army believed there were no more than 150 active KLA fighters in and around the capital. Those who claim to have been in the guerrilla army easily run to ten times that number. A KLA spokesman said: "We are aware that a number of people have claimed to be our fighters. It is impossible for us to be everywhere at once when such imposters appear but with Kfor and others we are hoping to deal with such people." The spokesman would not elaborate on how the KLA would enforce discipline. However, even such a veiled threat illustrates why senior British officers believe there will be more violent incidents in Kosovo as more Albanians return. DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
