Pogrom divides Kosovo occupiers
According to Canadian military reporter Scott Taylor ("NATO in Kosovo, a
place of divided goals" - The Halifax Herald Limited, Monday, April 19, 2004 -
sadly, not online), various units among Kosovo's NATO occupiers reacted quite
differently to the March 17-19 pogrom.
For example, German troops offered no
resistance to Albanian rioters, to the great disgust of their fellow
peacekeepers:
"If Georgian troops were stationed there we would have
defended this holy site," said a young corporal from Tiblisi. "We understand the
importance of such things. The Germans, on the other hand, are only intent on
maintaining friendly relations with the local Albanians."
Swedish
troops, on the other hand, seem full of fight:
"My platoon suffered 14
wounded outside the village of Caglovica," said Cpl. Anderson of the Swedish
battalion. "While the incident took us by complete surprise, we are now looking
forward to Round 2 with these Albanians - it will definitely be payback time."
Czech troops also fought the Albanians, and don't hesitate to give
them a piece of their mind:
At the NATO checkpoint on the
administrative boundary between Serbia and Kosovo, members of the Czech
battalion now routinely flash Albanian motorists the three extended fingers
hand-sign that symbolize Serbian nationalism. In response to these deliberate
provocations, Albanian drivers draw a finger across their throats at the Czech
troops.
And then there's the British... More...
