9 March 2001
American airborne troops try to halt fighting in border area
By Christian Jennings in Debelde, Kosovo
Nato acts to avert new Balkan war
HIGH up on the snow-covered peaks of Bjeshket e Namuna, the so-called Accursed
Mountains, the US army has begun a major operation to end fighting in the
latest Balkan troublespot before it gets out of control.
The Americans have deployed their forces with enthusiasm. Pairs of AH-64Apache
helicopter gunships clatter through the air while American troopsin trucks
and armoured Humvee all-terrain vehicles roar down mountain roadsafter the
end of the American-led, four-day military operation in which Polish,Ukrainian
and Lithuanian troops were also involved.
Paratroopers from the US 82nd Airborne Division laden down with machineguns,
grenade launchers and Kevlar body-armour have swamped the border area near
Debelde, sweeping across hills covered by oak forests and scarred by theoccasional
burnt-out village.
In the clear, spring air, a US army Blackhawk helicopter deposited the US
Army's senior commander in Kosovo, Brig-Gen Kenneth Quinlan, who had arrived
in the muddy village of haystacks and farm compounds.
The operation, he said, was a success. But critics are far from satisfied.
They say the Americans allowed the 250 Albanians occupying the Macedonian
village of Tanusevci to escape. The men are thought to have headed south-eastwards,
farther into Skopje's territory.
The leaders of neighbouring states also say the Kfor operation should never
have been necessary. Yugoslav and Macedonian leaders believe that Kfor, particularly
the American contingent, has allowed the guerrillas to prosper for fear of
casualties.
At some point over the past few months, the Nato-led force has let the activities
of ethnic Albanian guerrillas get out of hand. Now the force is trying to
put the genie back in the bottle by cutting the rebel supply lines and arresting
gunmen. The alternative is the launching of counter-attacks by the Yugoslav
and Macedonian armies, which could spread the fighting.
The American action is more substantial than it at first appears. On Wednesday
night a group of British and French journalists surprised American troops
in one part of the village of Tanusevci in Macedonia, which ethnic Albanian
rebels of the National Liberation Army had been occupying.
Bajram Sinani, a 55-year-old villager, said that Kfor "entered 200 metres
into Macedonia" and was worried about the implications. he said: "I don't
want to be a citizen of Kosovo. I am a citizen of Macedonia."
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