Kosovo Armed Group Issues Warning
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27 December 2007 Pristina _ A shadowy armed group in Kosovo, the Albanian
National Army, is preparing for potential trouble in the Serb-inhabited north
of the region after Kosovos expected declaration of independence, Balkan
Insight can reveal.
By Krenar Gashi
In an exclusive interview for Balkan Insight, the groups frontman, identified
only as Arberi, said that his group, known by its initials as the ANA, was
focusing its efforts on the ethnically-divided city of Mitrovica, and the rest
of the northern part of Kosovo dominated by Serbs.
We are worried that there will be fresh violence from the Serbian armed forces
when Kosovo declares independence, Arberi told Balkan Insight on Wednesday.
He explained that his group of armed men stayed out of the glare of the public
in recent months, as they were focusing on mobilisation and logistics, with an
emphasis on northern Kosovo.
We want to make sure that nothing happens to the Albanian population of this
area when Kosovos parliament declares independence. We will be there to avoid
any inter-ethnic clashes, Arberi went on.
The guerrilla leader in his thirties said that KFOR troops of the NATO-led
peacekeeping mission in Kosovo have shown they are not able to deal with
violence.
Look back to 2004 when KFOR soldiers locked themselves into their bases while
Albanians and Serbs were killing each other, he said referring to Kosovo's
worst bout of violence since the war in 1999.
He was sitting in a café with two other ANA members, all without their
trademark balaclavas, and dressed in civilians clothes.
They have not been able to defend their own commander, he addes, referring to
a much more recent incident.
KFOR commander Xavier Bout de Marnhac and Joachim Ruecker, head of the UN
mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, were involved in a fracas when inhabitants of the
Serb village of Gorazdevac assaulted their military escort at the beginning of
December.
Kosovo has been under UN administration since 1999 when NATOs bombing forced
the Serbian authorities to withdraw their troops from the territory.
KFORs peacekeeping mission was installed in order to maintain peace and
security, and to support the UN administration, UNMIK.
The ANA, which is also known by its Albanian initials as AKSH, was labelled a
terrorist organisation by UNMIK in 2003.
Members of the ANA, have been seen in the territory periodically since the
conflict ended in 1999.
They have taken responsibility for several bomb attacks in Kosovo since then.
However, the group shunned publicity for a time while an earlier phase of the
internationally-mediated negotiations on Kosovos status was underway.
Shocking images of the ANAs masked gunmen checking vehicles along one of
Kosovos most frequented highways were broadcast in early October by Kosovos
public TV station, RTK.
Since the internationally mediated negotiations over Kosovos final status
ended with no concrete results in early December, the ethnic Albanian-dominated
authorities in Kosovo are expected to declare independence in the next few
months.
Many fear that such a declaration, which is expected to be recognised by the US
and most of EU countries will be followed by a similar act from the Kosovo
Serbs who will decide to proclaim the independence of northern Kosovo.
The ANA members say their mission is to protect Kosovos territorial integrity.
If by any chance Kosovo gets de facto partitioned, we will do everything to
unify and protect our territories, said Arberi, who did not wish to disclose
the number of his armed men or the weapons they possess.
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