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Which Terrorists Are Worse?
Al Qaeda? Or the KLA?
by Jared Israel
[Posted 12 December 2001]
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Slobodan Milosevic, the kidnapped former President of Yugoslavia, appeared before The Hague 'Tribunal' yesterday. (1)

"Asked how he pleaded to the charges, guilty or not guilty, Mr. Milosevic reacted like his old defiant self and said: 'This miserable text is the ultimate absurdity. I should be given credit for peace in Bosnia, not war.' Responsibility for the Bosnian war, he went on, 'lies with the Western powers that broke up Yugoslavia and their Yugoslav agents.' Because he failed to respond with a plea, the court entered a plea of not guilty... (1)

"The charges against him in Kosovo, he said, 'will inevitably open up the issue of the Clinton administration's cooperation with the terrorists in Kosovo, including the bin Laden organization.' He was referring to ethnic Albanian rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army who, he contends, attacked Serbian forces with help from foreign Islamic militants." ('N.Y. Times,' 12/12/01 * Note: the 'Times' uses the term Islamic, meaning Muslim, when it should use 'Islamist,' meaning Muslim clerical-fascists.)

The charge for which Milosevic has been tried and convicted in the Western press is that he suppressed a popular movement using brutal methods. (2)

But what if they lied to us about Kosovo and Milosevic, just as they lied to us about the bombing of the Red Cross, or that bin Laden was fighting the CIA throughout the 1990s? What if in fact Yugoslavia used relatively humane methods to fight the U.S.-supported secessionists in Kosovo - which by the way is the oldest part of Serbia. What if this contrasts favorably with the tactics employed by the U.S. in Afghanistan - which is not part of the U.S.A.? (3)

What if the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) is a terrorist organization, created by the USA and Germany, trained by U.S. and British covert forces, installed in power in Kosovo as a proxy force for NATO?

What if hundreds of thousands of Serbs, 'Gypsies,' Slavic Muslims, Turks, non-fascist Albanians and Jews have been driven from the province by the KLA - with NATO's apparent approval? (4)

These are the issues Milosevic promises to expose.

We have posted evidence of the KLA's ties to Osama bin Laden's terrorists. (5)

New evidence emerged today. We are informed that an Australian, captured in Afghanistan, had previously fought for the KLA, then went for training with al Qaeda in Pakistan, and ended up a Taliban soldier. (http://au.news.yahoo.com/011212/2/1onh.html )

But the KLA is terrorist regardless of its links to al Qaeda. The evidence is overwhelming. Consider, for example, the case of Mr. Ramush Haradinaj.

According to a December 4th BBC report, Mr. Haradinaj, who leads the so-called Democratic League of Kosova (sic!) or LDK, has been meeting with leaders of the Alliance for the Future of Kosova (also sic!) to plan a 'broad based' government in the province. (Why did I put 'sic!' after 'Kosova'? See footnote 6 )

Who is Ramush Haradinaj?

"COOK HELD TALKS WITH WAR CRIME SUSPECT
by Tom Walker

"THE 'ethical dimension' of Robin Cook's foreign policy has come under renewed attack after it emerged that a Kosovo Albanian leader whom the foreign secretary met last week may be linked with war crimes.

"On his return from Kosovo, Cook promised that 'a principled defence of democracy and human rights' would remain a cornerstone of his foreign policy should he retain his portfolio after the general election.

"However, Francis Maude, the shadow foreign secretary, accused him of "encouraging a culture of impunity" by holding talks with Ramush Haradinaj, 32, a former nightclub bouncer and guerrilla commander suspected by United Nations officials of possible involvement in the murder of civilians, and of helping to run smuggling rackets across the province.

"A French official said last week he was amazed that Haradinaj, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, had been invited to the British residence in Pristina, the capital, during Cook's visit...Haradinaj could face charges over what may be the biggest atrocity carried out by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Forty civilians were killed during several months in 1998 in the village of Glodjane in western Kosovo, where Haradinaj was then the KLA commander. Many of the bodies - of Serbs, Albanians and gypsies - bore marks of torture.

"Moderate Albanians in the Democratic League of Kosovo have implicated Haradinaj in the murders of civilians suspected of collaborating with Serbian forces. But Haradinaj has dismissed accusations of war crimes and treats talk of indictment at The Hague as 'propaganda by political opponents.'

"...In common with other senior KLA commanders, he was equipped with a satellite phone during Nato airstrikes in 1999, helping the alliance to pinpoint targets.

"...When the KLA emerged, he... established himself as commander of the western Decane region, basing himself in Glodjane, one of his clan's strongholds.

"When the UN took charge of the province's administration, he became second-in-command of the Kosovo Protection Corps, the KLA's peacetime incarnation...

"Diplomats in Pristina said Haradinaj entered politics last year at the behest of Britain and America, which wanted to see the KLA's support base split. 'He said it was too early for independence,' said a European official introduced to Haradinaj. 'He was coached to say what was needed.' Last April Haradinaj made a fundraising trip to Washington..." ('Sunday Times,' (London) of 29 April 2001: April 29, 2001, Sunday)

A few quick points about this article:

First, note that the 'Times' articles quotes some nameless "Diplomats" to the effect that "Britain and America wanted to see the KLA's support base split." Thus the 'Times' prettifies the ugly fact that the U.S. and British governments coached Haradinaj and funded him, thereby thrusting him into politics, instead of jail, where he belonged.

Second, note that Mr. Haradinaj is a leader of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC) . The KPC was set up by the UN mission in Kosovo, at Washington's behest. It is composed of former KLA terrorists.

A special UN report accused the KPC of:

"Murder, torture and extortion: these are the extraordinary charges made against the UN's own Kosovo Protection Corps in a confidential United Nations report written for Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"The KPC stands accused in the document, drawn up on 29 February, of 'criminal activities - killings, ill-treatment/torture, illegal policing, abuse of authority, intimidation, breaches of political neutrality and hate-speech'." ('The Observer,' 12 March 2000, quoted in http://emperors-clothes.com/news/howwill.htm )

Many if not most of the terrorists fighting to destroy Macedonia are members of the KPC. These terrorists are paid by NATO! (7)

Ramush Haradinaj is not any ordinary terrorist.

On December 14, 1998, masked gunmen sprayed bullets into the Panda Cafe in the Kosovo city of Pec. Six children were murdered.

The act of terror was so horrific, even U.S. Balkans envoy Richard Holbrooke denounced it.

'"Because of its cruelty and its cowardice, this crime stands above all crimes,' said Mirko Simonovic, principal of the slain teenagers' school." ('Agence France Presse,' 16 December 1998)

The KLA was responsible. But what part of the KLA?

"...His [Ramush Haradinaj's] men already are suspected of carrying out the Panda Cafe murders, when masked rebels opened fire in December on a restaurant the city of Pec, killing six Serbian youths. His men also are suspected of shooting at U.S. diplomatic monitors..." ('AP,' 8 March 1999)

As mentioned earlier, Haradinaj was implicated in the slaughter of civilians in the town of Glodjane. These civilians included:

"...Serbian farmers, some gypsies and Albanians suspected of being collaborators."('Sunday Times', (London) 3 September 2000)

How could Ramush Haradinaj be sure that a Kosovo Albanian or a 'Gypsy' was a 'collaborator'? One way was if he or she refused to support the secessionist-organized boycott of Public schools (taught in the Albanian language!) Another sure clue was that he or she worked for the government, as a forester for example. (8)

When Washington officials met with Haradinaj to discuss funding his political campaign last year, they were of course violating Yugoslav sovereignty and therefore international law (e.g., the Helsinki Final Act). But aside from that, is it possible they didn't know who Haradinaj was and what he stood for?

"'Washington knows what we want,' he [Ramush Haradinaj] added with a smile. 'We've been clear from the very beginning.'" (Kosovo Rebels Won't Give Up Guns By ANNE THOMPSON, 'Associated Press,' 8 March 1999)

Haradinaj has been competing with another KLA thug, Hashim Thaci, who has also been transformed into a proper politician. Thaci's group is called the Democratic Party of Kosova (sic!) or PKK. Isn't it nice that both these terrorists have the adjective 'democratic' stuck onto their party names? (6)

Thaci and Haradinaj have been fighting over who gets the graft in impoverished Kosovo - for example, over the "control of certain petrol stations." (See 'Daily Telegraph', June 12, 2000)

The 'Telegraph' does not come right out and say that Haradinaj and Thaci are gangsters. But 'Jane's Defense Review' is quite forthright:

"[Thaci's] PDK has good links with Albanian exile groups in America, Switzerland and Germany, although the bulk of Thaci's funding is now believed to come from racketeering and other crime-generated sources." ('Jane's Intelligence Review' September 1, 2000)

Note that 'Jane's Defense' calls the money that Thaci gets from racketeering 'funding,' as if he had applied for a grant for a community orchestra or for a home for unwed mothers.

Apparently gangsterism is now routine in Kosovo.

Last year, Washington gave Hashim Thaci a bigger reception than his competitor, Ramush Haradinaj.

Here's how 'Voice of America' described it:

"Hashim Thaci, who leads the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK)... spoke at a press conference at UN headquarters. He is concluding a trip to the United States, during which he met with U.S. State Department and congressional officials. He also attended the convention in Los Angeles last week at which the U.S. Democratic Party chose Vice President Al Gore to be its candidate for president.

"In response to questions, Thaci repeatedly said he saw democracy progressing in Kosovo. He said local elections would help provide a basis for general elections in the province and contribute to what he called the democratization of the Balkans.

"Thaci pointed to democratic changes in Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Macedonia and said he believed pro-democracy forces would eventually win out in Montenegro. He also said he considered the general elections planned for Yugoslavia next month as "elections in a neighboring country." (From 'Radio Free Europe,' 22 August 2000)

Thaci's tour was barely mentioned in the US press. But 'Voice of America' (VOA) broadcast the story far and wide in the Balkans. By doing so, VOA made it perfectly clear that the US government was behind this terrorist.

Thaci became a KLA media star during the so-called peace negotiations at Rambouillet in the winter of 1999. Before that he was the main KLA leader in the Kosovo town of Klecka, which had been seized by the KLA. When Yugoslav forces liberated the town in August, 1998, they made some gruesome discoveries.

[Start Quote] "Captured KLA Men Say Serbs Were Executed

"Klecka, Yugoslavia

"...Police escorted journalists into the area on Friday after three days of fierce fighting to dislodge its KLA defenders. [Note that 'Reuters' uses the word 'defenders' to describe these KLA terrorists.]

"Reporters for Western media said two captured KLA men showed them a spot in Klecka where 10 Serbs-- including three women and two children - were shot by a KLA firing squad.

"Pristina country court investigating magistrate Danica Marinkovic said four burned bodies found in the village were believed to be those of victims of the shootings. There was no trace of the other corpses." ('Reuters' 28 August 1998) [End Quote]

And:

[Start Quote] "Domestic and foreign reporters, residing in Pristina, were allowed to follow questioning of a witness, at the site of the crime. The arrested Bekim Mazreku was answering to questions of Ms. Danica Marinkovic, an investigation officer. In presence of police, translator and the journalists, Mr. Murzeku said the following:

"Mr. Bekim Mazreku: We executed ten here. Two were children, three women, two young boys and three men."

"Ms. Marinkovic: Could you tell us the age of the children?

Mr. Bekim Mazreku: From seven or eight to eleven.

"Ms. Marinkovic: "And women?"

"Mr. Bekim Mazreku: From 28 to 32.

"Ms. Marinkovic: Who was executing them?

"Mr. Bekim Mazreku: The Kosovo Liberation Army.

"Twenty one year old Mr. Bekim Mazreku was then returned to jail. Journalists were then shown the fence and trees where the execution bullets landed. Also we saw the mentioned pit with chlorine as well as few semi-burned skulls and numerous bones belonging to victims of this crime. The police have also shown to us photographs of a dead man with head chopped off and mutilated body. The police told us that the photographs were found in a basement of a house in Klecka.

"The village of Klecka has a dozen of houses on few acres of land. It had been turned into a military camp by KLA." [End Quote]
(From 'Radio B92,' 29 August 1998. You should know that in the fall of 1998, 'Radio B92' was fiercely anti-Yugoslav government. It was funded by Western government and related sources. Regarding this, see the Emperor's Clothes interview with the news editor and Webmaster from Radio B92 at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/interviews/emperor.htm As the interview shows, B92 did not have a pro-Yugoslav Army bias; quite the contrary.)

And:

[Start Quote] "The killings in Klecka have been linked to Thaci, who now heads the Democratic party of Kosovo." ('Sunday Times' (London) September 3, 2000, Sunday) [End Quote]

We who labor to expose media lies about Yugoslavia have argued that the KLA's links to al Qaeda prove that the KLA is a terrorist group.

Maybe we've got it wrong. Maybe we ought to be arguing that the KLA's links to al Quaida prove that al Quaida is a terrorist group.

-- Jared Israel

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FURTHER READING:
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1) Milosevic was literally kidnapped from Yugoslavia and taken to The Hague 'Tribunal,' about which see 'NATO's Tribunal: Straight From the Horse's Mouth'. Includes some amazing facts about this institution. Can be read at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/docs/h-list.htm

2) 'KLA Attacks Everyone; Media Attacks...Miloshevich?' by Jared Israel. Challenges much of what you have been told about the man. Can be read at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/articles/jared/expan.htm

3) * For our interview with people at Red Cross headquarters concerning the bombing of their warehouses in Kabul, go to http://emperors-clothes.com/interviews/redcross.htm

* For the evidence the bin Laden is still, in some form, a CIA asset, go to http://emperors-clothes.com/news/probestop-i.htm

4) "What NATO Takeover Would Mean for Macedonia: The Lesson of Orahovac in Kosovo." Eye-witness accounts of NATO's occupation of a Serbian town.
http://emperors-clothes.com/misc/savethe-a.htm

5) 'Bin Laden in the Balkans' includes several mainstream media accounts of the link between the KLA and al Quaida. Can be read at http://emperors-clothes.com/news/binl.htm

6) To understand why there's a sic! after 'Kosova,' see Linguistics Professor Peter Maher's 'KosovO/KosovA - What's in a Name?' at http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/maher/inaname.htm

7) 'SORRY VIRGINIA BUT THEY ARE NATO TROOPS, NOT 'REBELS'' by Jared Israel, can be read at http://www.emperors-clothes.com/mac/times.htm

8) For a discussion of the attempts by the ethnic Albanian secessionists in Kosovo to intimidate non-secessionist Albanians, see http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/Johnstone/1yugo.htm#kspring
Ms. Johnstone's article is filled with mind-stretching observations about Yugoslavia. Worth reading twice.

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