The Department of Defense announced on Monday that a 20-year-old soldier died in Kosovo in a “non-combat related incident.” Alexander Blake Klass of Willamina, Oregon died on Saturday at Camp Novo Selo, Kosovo. The incident is still under investigation, according to the Pentagon.
About 600 US troops are stationed in Kosovo as part of a NATO mission called Kosovo Force or KFOR, which consists of some 3,500 soldiers. The mission started in 1999 when the US and NATO intervened to lead a 78-day bombing campaign against the Serbian in an attempt to oust former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.
The KFOR force initially consisted of 50,000 troops and has dwindled substantially as Kosovo has built up its own military. In 2008, Kosovo’s government declared independence from Serbia, and tensions flared between the two states, as Serbia still considers Kosovo to be its territory.
A Serbia-Kosovo summit was planned to take place at the White House in June, but it was postponed after an international prosecutor in the Hague indicted Kosovo’s President Hashim Thaci for war crimes he is accused of committing during the 1998-99 war against Serbia. Thaci stands accused of “nearly 100 murders,” torture, and disappearances.
Thaci was the leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the war, a group that has been accused of organ trafficking. The US and NATO supported the KLA during its 1999 bombing campaign. In that air campaign, 23,000 bombs fell on the Balkans, and thousands of civilians were killed. Targets hit included hospitals, factories, schools, and even the Chinese embassy in Belgrade.
How about being precise about what KFOR soldiers are doing?
They are almost exclusively protecting minority community from eradication. Serb minority communities — outside of Serb majority Northern Kosovo, scattered across Kosovo. Many — hundreds of them — have already disappeared, Without protection, Albanian mobs attacked, killed, burned churches and houses, chased them from apartment buildings — and in short amount of time — communities were reduced to a limited number of “enclaves”. These include communities around major monasteries.
Here is the trap created for Western plans for Kosovo. You cannot leave. West has to perpetually fund that illusion of a state — as they have Serb communities as hostages. Today , many are surrounded buy barbed wire, and barbed wire never felt so good and appreciated like in those endangered communities. KFOR protects them against Albanian mobs. KFOR soldiers protect the world heritage medieval monasteries, standing guard, and rotating to go inside for prayers.
There is nothing that can be done — or I just do not see any exit. Trump plan was to buy Albanians and Serbs — by offering to boost economy and transit links, infrastructure. Create environment of wellbeing — force Serbia to recognize Kosovo and join NATO — and get out of Dodge.
It could not have worked — as this was organized by US literally booting out one PM and appointing a pliable one. Of course — the moment they get their recognition, that would be the end of Serbian anything in Kosovo. With hundreds of thousands who already fled, this would complete the eradication of minorities.
The court case — I am afraid is a nothingburger, a way for Europe to snatch Kosovo from US control. As if Europe can do anything better!
Europe had once a mission to establish rule of law on Kosovo, EULEX. Its officials fled one by one — after receiving pictures of their homes and children going to school, or in college. Only pliable remained.
This court case — the indictments— are dependent on a single judge to decide if this goes to court! Why? Albanians demanded this as a condition of approving investigation.
As all previous court cases showed, no Albanian leaders would ever be convicted — witnesses disappear or commit suicide.
Unless Europe has finally found a spine — and will prosecute, nothing can come out of it. But with Albanians being number one crime organization in Europe — good luck to feckless EU bureaucracy.
But we have now for twenty years our boys out there being just as much hostages to Albanians as those Serbs behind barbed wires.
As to make things worse, we have —- contrary to UN Resolution R1244, recognized Kosovo, and strengthened their militants.
That was all a mistake — as we do not control them — they control US. I have to give them credit for knowing how to leverage their power by whatever means. We should have stuck with resolution which made Kosovo UN protectorate — standards before status deal. Meaning that if Kosovo could not develop a state, legal system, protection for minorities — it could not be an independent state. All the support was given — financing, legal experts, etc.
But it remains a crime controlled entity — and everyone is stuck with it.
Kosovo is so messed up, someone there probably would put a bounty on a U.S. soldier to settle a score.
That is one place where US has to stay.
Cannot win, and cannot get out of the game. But with nearly 180,000 US soldiers around the world — NOT counting war zones — Kosovo is peanuts, and have no idea why is Trump bothering with it.
Uhhh no. Kosovo is Europe’s lawless pirate mafia state.
https://www.globalresearch.ca/kosovo-europe-s-mafia-state-hub-of-the-eu-nato-drug-trail/22486
The U.S. should get out and never look back…
We all know that. No news. I was commenting on R1244 — and why in my view the Western determination to recognize a country that had ZERO conditions met to qualify for independence — was stupid.
As far as I am concerned — US should pull all military home. On Kosovo — bloodshed will ensue, as foreign troops created permanent conflict logic. Serbia may have to occupy the territory and cut a deal with Albania on territory. Kosovo as state without crime syndicate cannot function.