kNikS

Sir,

There was a right side, it was the side of the country fighting terrorists and insurgents on its own territory, and Serbia is on the same side today. US and NATO were picking sides between dictator and terrorists, not between the country and terrorists.

Earlier, I thought that they were just shortsighted, but considering that Serbia is now "friend" and "partner" and they continue to support the same side, I'm not convinced in that anymore.

There were no genocidic march in Kosovo. We also had few nice and clean anti-insurgency operations in 2001., and NATO is well aware of that.

What Serbs - from Kosovo? Because that's all what counts, since NATO won't alow VS to protect them, and I'm not convinced that they will protect them properly.

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For King and Fatherland ~ Freedom or Death

kNikS

Don't be so sure.

Officer of Engineers

Nice to see you back.

My comments was not based on the current political situation but rather what would happen if the gloves were off.

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Chimo

kNikS

Thanks. I was just tired of east-west politicals discussiions, both here and on Serbian boards, and I still am.

Well, it's the opposite, 'gloves' that Milosevic had are the case that hardly happened in past and that will hardly happen again, when Serbs and Serbia is in question.

Can't speak for others, and I don't beleive them, at least in light of usual daily news. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I was rather optimistic in my first posts on this board few years ago.

It's not over yet, and the cards will be different next time.

Officer of Engineers

Are you in the army yet?

kNikS

Not yet, but I'm working on it now.

Officer of Engineers

Just wondering what the training is now. COIN or the old conventional classic doctrines.

SRB

Albainans dont have any right on Kosovo i Metohija as independent country.

First: In constitution of SFRY from 1974 (which by Albanian politics is best constitution of SFRY) KiM was only autonomous province of Serbia not republic like BiH.

Second: They became majority only because of silent ethnic cleansing of Serbs for 1941 to 1987.

Third: Albainans have allready their own country Albania which is bordered with KiM.

Forth: Slavs(Serbs) were living on KiM much longer than Albainans.

Fifth: KiM never been independent country.

Sixth: International law would been serious hurt if KiM became independent country (it would be unilateral way because it is very hard to belive that Russia will not use veto)

Seventeen: It will be very hard to stop domino effect, first on Balkans and then in rest of World. I am sure that Albainans in MAcedonia and Montenegro will push for separation especially because those two countries are much weaker than Serbia (Montengro doesnt have army) if separists succeed they will join with KiM and later Big KiM will join with Albania forming Big Albania. Also this will be beacon to other separation movements around the world and Western politics only give them fuel for fire because they are explain that KiM must get independence because Albainans are angry and cannot wait and they will start another war. So They send simple stupid singal to separatist of world: "Use violence and you will win"

Eighth: Two weeks ago our police arrested couple of wahhabis in south Serbia. Musilms for this part of Serbia are sure that major camp isnt here but in Kosovo and those wahhabis weren't there to preach another type of islam but they blow things (in their cave were found large amount of C-4) so independent KiM could be biggest safe house for AL-Qaeda in EU. And Yanks are plan to leave KiM when it became indepedent and to left security to EU. So it will be EU problem which US create.

P.S. Nice to see you KNikS.

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USSR EXPERIMENTAL SPITFIRE

kNikS

Classic, but new brigades are being formed and when profesionalisation ends it will be different. Special forces brigade is fully profesional now, and they were training COIN for a pretty long time I guess. It's a bit of mess now, though.

kNikS

Thanks. It's spelled wahhabi btw.

SRB

Thanks I correct mistake.

Officer of Engineers

So you have moved away from regiment to brigade? When did this happened? And how are the old regiments handling it?

Ironduke

I have actually spoken (yesterday) in person with a Kosovar who is a law student and was 23 at the time of the conflict, and was told to leave his village and was briefly a refugee.

The Serbian forces moved in from the north, and would send a detachment to towns and villages, if people resisted the initial order to leave, would shoot 6 or 7 Kosovars in the head and tell the rest to go to the next town. Then they would go to that town, and repeat the same process until most of the Kosovars fled. It was a very calculated process and all methodically planned out.

The Serbs doing the dirty work were mainly prisoners who were told if they performed this task they would have their sentences commuted. The Serbs began settling Serb refugees who were expelled from Croatia, with the probable intent of settling a large portion of the Serb refugees from Bosnia and Croatia in Kosovo.

Kosovars are not religiously observant, and Wahhabism holds no water there. The commander of the KLA was a Yugoslav general of Kosovar descent who attended the military academy in Zagreb and was stationed in Croatia at the time Croatia seceeded from Yugoslavia, and participated in actions there and remained there until the conflict broke out in Kosovo.

The overwhelming vast majority of the refugees forced their fellow Kosovars not to take up arms against the Serbian forces, as they were defenseless and feared reprisals against refugee groups, some of whom would hide in the forests around the towns they lived in until the Serbs pulled back.

The Kosovar language and Albanian, though related, are rather distinct from each other, something like comparing Spanish to Italian.

The Serbian actions in 1999 were not an effort to combat insurgency or terrorism... there was none. I believe, from what I have been told first-hand, that the Serbians were ethnically cleansing the province to make room for Serb refugees who were living in stadiums and other makeshift areas in Serbia.

Milosevic's goal was to create a Greater Serbia... in trying to do so he brought destruction and ruin to Serbia.

There is little danger of more troubles in Macedonia... the Macedonian Slavs and Albanians have made great strides at cooperation to ensure that both enjoy equality.

The majority of Kosovars also don't want to unite with Albania. Though related to Albanians ethnically, there are rather distinct from one another. And again, Kosovars are secular in their worldview, and very non-religious.

Overall, there were three types of Serbs who took part in the action:

1) The local, native Serbian police. They were reluctant to perform their task, but they had little choice. They took no part in any killings.

2) The Serbian military. They would send a detachment warning Kosovars to move to the next town, and if this order was not obeyed, they would make an example killing a few that would compel the others to leave.

3) Released Serbian prisoners and paramilitaries. These were responsible for most of the deaths.

If Kosovo were to gain independence... it would have 3.5 times the population of Montenegro. Economically viable? I have no idea. The Russian veto is worthless.

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The Buck Stops Here

Ironduke

Croats are traditionally Catholic and lean toward Western Europe, Serbs are traditionally Orthodox and lean toward Russia.

Other than religion, they share the same culture and language, like Catholic southern Dutch and Calvinist northern Dutch.

MrFirst

I have had heard plenty of such tearful stories "first-hand" in due time. And contents depends on who is a story-teller, accordingly one side is "bad guys" another side is "good guys". One may believe them but in a war there are two sides at least. As for me I'm sceptical to them, to different representatives of so-called "peaceful population". That was a special name - "peaceful population" - on TV until journalists did realize there is no "peaceful population" in a warring country, a "local population" there is. Wars do not start from nothing. And these one more "freedom fighters" - Kosovars - indeed had their insurgency armed organization, they indeed conducted attacks, ambushes, murders and so on, they indeed had secret arsenals having a lot of rifles, grenades, mines, mortars and other military equipment, they indeed got weapons and arms from abroad. Who are going to claim that all of this haven't happened?