"...Gil Robles said he had visited Bondsteel to investigate reports from human rights organizations that NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping forces (KFOR) were making extrajudicial arrests in the province - an accusation US military officials have denied.
The envoy said he was âshockedâ at the conditions of the prisoners in the camp and described the facility as âsmall wooden huts ringed by tall barbed wireâ, each housing âbetween 15 and 20 prisoners [â¦] wearing orange boiler suits like the ones worn by Guantanamo inmatesâ. âI can tell you that there are no secret detention facilities located on Camp Bondsteel. It is common knowledge that we do have a Kosovo Force detention facility located here,â Major Michael Wunn, spokesman for US forces in Kosovo, told ISN Security Watch on Saturday.âCurrently, no one is detained in this facility. We have not had anyone detained there during the current rotation. Although the facility is not currently open, our soldiers are certified to operate it if necessary,â http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=13638 But a EU diplomat saw real live, orange boiler suited, HUMANS at that camp. This story, if it circulates in Kosovo, nearby Albania and Macedonia, all heavily or totally Muslim, could possibly set off a popular uprising against U.S. forces. Wahhabi madrassas in those nations have been providing full military training to their students who are combat ready by graduation and now number in the thousands. Things might now get very interesting if a Muslim jihad explodes in the Balkans, Europe's underbelly. David Bier http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?id=13638 US criticized over alleged Kosovo prison camp ISN SECURITY WATCH (26/11/05)-The US has been accused of running a secret military detention center in the UN administrated province of Kosovo that the Council of Europeâs human right envoy has likened to the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Council of Europe (CoE) human rights envoy Alvaro Gil-Robles told the French Daily Le Monde on Friday that he had visited the USâs Bondsteel military camp in Kosovo and described it as a âsmaller version of Guantanamoâ. Gil Robles said he had visited Bondsteel to investigate reports from human rights organizations that NATO-led Kosovo peacekeeping forces (KFOR) were making extrajudicial arrests in the province - an accusation US military officials have denied. The envoy said he was âshockedâ at the conditions of the prisoners in the camp and described the facility as âsmall wooden huts ringed by tall barbed wireâ, each housing âbetween 15 and 20 prisoners [â¦] wearing orange boiler suits like the ones worn by Guantanamo inmatesâ. Washington has been under heavy criticism from human rights organizations for holding suspects in the âwar on terrorâ for years at Guantanamo without charges and without access to lawyers. According to Amnesty International human rights group, âthe detention camp at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay has become a symbol of the US administrationâs refusal to put human rights and the rule of law at the heart of its response to the atrocities of 11 September 2001.â âAs evidence of torture and widespread cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment mounts, it is more urgent than ever that the US government bring the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and any other facilities it is operating outside the USA into full compliance with international law and standards. The only alternative is to close them down,â Amnesty International said in a statement. . US military officials in Kosovo have rejected Gil Roblesâ accusations, saying no clandestine operations were being conducted at Bondsteel. âI can tell you that there are no secret detention facilities located on Camp Bondsteel. It is common knowledge that we do have a Kosovo Force detention facility located here,â Major Michael Wunn, spokesman for US forces in Kosovo, told ISN Security Watch on Saturday. âCurrently, no one is detained in this facility. We have not had anyone detained there during the current rotation. Although the facility is not currently open, our soldiers are certified to operate it if necessary,â he said. âOpening and operating the facility to house detainees requires approval from the Commanding General, US Army Europe and Commander, KFOR. The US Army maintains this facility as part of its KFOR responsibilities pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1244. The facility is subject to inspection by the International Committee of the Red Cross and is regularly inspected by the United States Army, Europe,â Major Wunn said. The Bondsteel Detention Facility is under the command and control of US Brigadier General John Harrel, the commanding officer of KFORâs Multinational Brigade East. Located in the southern town of Ferizaj (Urosevac), Camp Bondsteel is operated exclusively by the US military and serves as KFORâs main detention center. KFOR has been responsible for security in the province since 1999, when NATO pushed out Serb forces to end a bloody crackdown on majority ethnic Albanians. More than 6,000 US soldiers are part of the 17,000-strong KFOR. The CoE human rights envoy said he had decided to raise the issue concerning the Bondsteel camp publicly following reports of alleged CIA prisons in Eastern Europe. Recently, the US has been accused of holding terror suspects in secret detention sites in Asia and Eastern Europe, though the alleged host countries have denied their existence. The CIA declined to comment on the allegations when asked by ISN Security Watch earlier this month. Gil-Robles told the French daily he had no evidence that Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo was linked to the alleged secret CIA prisons, but he called on Washington for official clarification. â[â¦] But I do believe that an explanation should be given for this base in Kosovo, as for other potentially suspect sitesâ in Europe, he told Le Monde. (By Ekrem Krasniqi in Brussels) ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. 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