OT:From Yesterday, KLA Propoganda Machine takes off, US Army set as Scapegoat

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*Note: I tried to post this yesterday, but my server STB on me, so forgive the rant if it already been posted. Billy

Kosovo Albanians Have U.S. Gripe

by MELISSA EDDY Associated Press Writer VITINA, Yugoslavia (AP) -- Lulzim Ukshini was hanging out with his buddies in Sam's Pizzeria when a grenade exploded in a Serb store across town. The first he heard about the attack was when four U.S. peacekeepers came looking for him. ``They started to beat me nonstop, telling me to admit that I did it,'' he said. ``Then they pulled a knife out and threatened to cut me into pieces.''

Ukshini's story of mistreatment at the hands of American soldiers is being echoed by other ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, who tell of beatings, inappropriate body searches of women and daily harassment by U.S. troops.

The allegations come at a time of heightened concern following the rape and murder of an 11-year-old ethnic Albanian girl. U.S. Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi, a weapons squad leader from Fort Bragg, N.C., was charged this month with murder and indecent acts with a child in connection with her death.

Ethnic Albanians say the killing is not their only complaint against the Americans. Their allegations have prompted an official Army investigation and threaten a breakdown in trust between the U.S. peacekeepers and the citizens they were sent to protect.

U.S. officials declined to discuss specific allegations because many of the complaints are under investigation. But the Army acknowledges it has a big problem with community relations in Kosovo. ``These are serious allegations that we do take seriously,'' Maj. Erik Gunhus, a public affairs officer at Camp Bondsteel, told The Associated Press. ``We will investigate and if we find they are true, we will act accordingly. We want to show that no one is above the law.''

In a statement issued Sunday, the Army said preliminary findings indicate several U.S. soldiers may have been involved in misconduct, ``including improper use of physical force and threats against Kosovar males and inappropriate physical contact with Kosovar females.'' Gunhus confirmed several soldiers have been transferred out of Vitina in connection with the investigation.

Still, Ukshini and other Vitina residents are skeptical. ``I wouldn't complain to KFOR because it does no good,'' Ukshini said, using the acronym for the NATO-led peacekeeping force that entered Kosovo in June after a 78-day bombing campaign forced a halt to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanians. ``Every time we went to complain, they told us: 'It's not true. Our soldiers don't behave like that,''' said Ramiz Hasani, 21, whose father, Xhauit, has been detained by the Americans in the killing of a Macedonian policeman.

Hasani said American soldiers have entered his father's restaurant several times in the past two months and harassed customers for no apparent reason. Daut Xhemajli, president of the Vitina Municipal Board, says relations between the Americans and ethnic Albanians in this farming town 45 miles southeast of Pristina have become strained.

He blames the Americans. ``One night they randomly entered a bar and started shouting at the customers, 'What are you going to burn next?' and 'Who are you going to kill now?''' he said. ``They were treating all of the customers as criminals.''

Contributing to the problem, Xhemajli said, is the fact that civilians have no avenue for lodging official complaints about the soldiers. ``There is no facility or a civilian institution where citizens could file a complaint against KFOR,'' he said. As a result, many ethnic Albanians say they try to avoid contact with the Americans. This is particularly true of women, who have complained of body searches by male soldiers.

Zijavere Azizi, 24, said she was walking in the center of town with a friend several weeks ago when four soldiers stopped the pair and started searching them without explanation. ``One of the men grabbed my arm and another grabbed my friend and pushed him against the concrete wall,'' she said. ``They took everything out of my pockets and put their hands in my pockets, all of my pockets.'' ``Normally, I don't allow somebody to touch me all over my body, but I couldn't do anything,'' she added. Since then, Azizi said she has left her home only when absolutely necessary.

Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who heads the U.S. troops in Kosovo, has met with Vitina leaders to express American concern over the allegations.>SNIP<

Enough of the propoganda. Seems that the Media has started a nice little campaign of discrediting the Military, making us look like assholes, thereby justifying our further emabarrasment. Didn't someone on the board say that this was almost exactly what was going to happen? The Kosovars will not be happy until they are a completely autonomous country unto themselves. In order to doi this, they need to insitgatew some "incidents" be it real or imagined of the American Army acting in an Oppressive role. Let the Demonization begin!!! Watch...you'll see. I don't buy any of the bullshit that the media is about to unleash.
Its all crap. The E-6 squad leader 'raping and killing a little girl' just doesn't wash. No E-6 I ever served with would take the risk. Notice how it has gotten real quiet? No mention of anything about it? The Clintonesque Failure of the Kosovar Policy is responsible for this nightmare.

The line about
"One night they(the US Soldiers) randomly entered a bar and started shouting at the customers, 'What are you going to burn next?' and 'Who are you going to kill now?"
Is so much bullshit. The troops patroling in Kosovoo are in their compounds at night. Not out harrassing Bar patrons. The only men out are the night patrols, who never dismount from their vehicals.
This entire article is a piece of fictional shit, the figment of a KLA progandist. And the worst part is that the Army is going to take a black eye over this.

-- Billy Boy (Rakkasan101st@Aol.com), January 28, 2000

Answers

Yes and the Yugoslavs will be over next to protect the Albanians and that opens the door to the Russians.-What a mess!

-- Juan Valdez (vgd38@hotmail.com), January 28, 2000.

The military is handling the rape case in a very interesting manner,as they basically let his family find out about the "charges" by reading about it in the papers, and when contacted indicated they couldn't discuss it with anyone, even the family.

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 28, 2000.


it stinks. the whole bloody thing. I don't trust any of it. seems just a little too 'easy'.

-- Billy Boy (Rakkasan101st@Aol.com), January 28, 2000.

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