Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- "Others left for Albania, where they helped train the rebels who would become known as the Kosovo Liberation Army. This year, according to Western diplomats, the fighers have appeared once more, now on the side of Albanian rebels in Macedonia." September 2, 2001 Trial Offers Look at Secretive Warriors in Bosnia By MARLISE SIMONS THE HAGUE, Aug. 31 — Islamic "holy warriors" came from various countries to the mountains of central Bosnia, but the people there knew them mainly for their reputation for ferocity and cruelty. They volunteered for the Bosnian Army but also had their own code of conduct. And under that code, any mistreatment of civilians and prisoners of war was strictly forbidden. Yet the United Nations war crimes tribunal here has accused them of doing just that — committing atrocities against civilians and prisoners. None of the Muslim warriors are expected to appear in court, according to tribunal officials. But three of their former superiors, all commanders in the Bosnian Army, were arrested for war crimes and brought to The Hague earlier this month to stand trial. The three, retired Generals Mehmed Alagic and Enver Hadzihasanovic, as well as Brig. Amir Kubura, have pleaded not guilty. No trial date has been set. The case is unusual, not only because the three are the highest ranking Bosnian Muslims indicted so far, but also because many of the charges against them involve crimes said to have been committed by the mujahedeen. The case is expected to throw light on mujahedeen, the secretive movement of Islamic volunteer fighters who have been operating in the Balkans for the better part of a decade. Tribunal investigators reportedly have had access to Western intelligence in preparing their case, and part of this information is expected to be used in court. What is known is that several thousand of the warriors first appeared in Bosnia in 1992, supported by funds from Iran and Saudi Arabia. Among them were young men from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and other Islamic nations. Estimated to number three to five thousand, they played a crucial role in the Bosnian Army as it battled with Serbs and then Croats over territory in central Bosnia. Under the 1995 Dayton Peace Accord, the mujahedeen were meant to leave Bosnia, but a number stayed, married local women and moved into houses left empty by refugees. Others left for Albania, where they helped train the rebels who became known as the Kosovo Liberation Army. This year, according to Western diplomats, the fighters have appeared once more, now on the side of Albanian rebels in Macedonia. Few details are publicly known, but the indictment of the three former Bosnian commanders offers some insights into the instructions and actions of the holy warriors. It says that most joined the same brigade, where recruits had to swear by oath that they would follow the example of a proper Muslim soldier. They were given a code of conduct, set out in a booklet called "Instructions to the Muslim Fighter," which in Bosnia was first published in 1993. Its section dealing with war booty may explain why many Bosnian soldiers, including mujahedeen, are accused in the indictment of widespread plundering of Bosnian Serb and Croat homes and farms. The booklet, as quoted in the indictment, says that if soldiers are unpaid, "a fifth of war booty shall fall to the state treasury, and the other four- fifths belong to the soldiers." The booklet's passage on prisoners of war says "the killing of women, children and priests who do not participate at all in the war and who do not directly or indirectly assist the enemy, is forbidden; Islam likewise forbids the torture and brutalization of prisoners of war and the mutilation of enemy wounded and dead." According to the indictment, in Bosnian towns and villages where mujahedeen operated during 1993, "at least 200 Bosnian Croat and Bosnian Serb civilians were killed and many more were wounded." __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
