[CTRL] Fw: Fw::Former KLA Commanders Fight over the Spoils of War

[Mrs. Jela Jovanovic, Secretary General]

--

>
>--->
>>http://www.stratfor.com/CIS/commentary/0005090124.htm
>>
>>Former KLA Commanders Fight over the Spoils of War
>>
>>  0124 GMT, 000509
>>
>>In addition to the daily incidents of inter-ethnic violence in Kosovo, a
>>distinctly new type of battle is shaping up. Two of the highest-ranking
>>commanders from the former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) have been murdered
>>in the past month. Although the precise reason for their deaths is
unclear,
>>the murders indicate infighting among Kosovo’s most powerful ethnic
>>Albanians. Not yet one year after the end of NATO’s bombing campaign, the
>>Kosovar Albanians are beginning to feud over the spoils of war.
>>A bullet to the head killed Besim Mala, also known as Murrizi, while in a
>>cafe in downtown Pristina April 17. Mala, former commander of western
>Kosovo
>>’s Adem Jashari 111th Brigade, was serving as commander of the Rapid
>>Intervention Battalion of the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC). Tens of
>>thousands of mourners gathered at his gravesite, reported Kosovapress, a
>>news agency based in Albania. U.N. police have so far arrested one suspect
>>in the killing, and the investigators blamed the murder on a criminal
>>dispute over protection rackets, reported the Scotsman.
>>On May 8 the second high-level KLA leader was shot to death in broad
>>daylight. Ekrem Rexha, also known as Drini, was killed as he left his
house
>>for work. Rexha, the Environment and Safety officer for the Prizren
region,
>>formerly commanded the KLA’s southern forces. Rexha was widely popular
>among
>>Kosovar Albanians, his face appearing on posters throughout western
Kosovo,
>>according to the Scottish Daily Record.
>>The killings likely resulted from struggles for power, either political or
>>criminal – or both. The former leader of the KLA, Hashim Thaci, reportedly
>>rose to power by violently eliminating his competition. The murders could
>be
>>the results of a second wave of Thaci’s political paranoia. Both men
became
>>famous for their roles in the war against Serb repression, and each
>remained
>>a hero in his region.
>>Each man also held posts that would lend themselves conveniently to
>criminal
>>activity. The former KLA members are closely tied with local drug and arms
>>smuggling rings, which could lead to territorial disputes. As a KPC
>>commander, Mala still had a small army at his service. Sources in
>Yugoslavia
>>report that he was involved in car smuggling, and the United Nations said
>>his death was related to racketeering. Similarly, as the director of
>>environment and safety, and with close KLA connections, Rexha easily could
>>have demanded extortion and protection money out of local businesses.
>>Rifts among the KLA leadership have until recently been imperceptible.
But,
>>as the Albanian militants become increasingly secure in their authority
>over
>>Kosovo, fractures are beginning to surface. Another former KLA commander,
>>Ramush Haradinaj, founded a new political movement last week called the
>>Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, made up of four parties. His coalition
>>could challenge Thaci’s Party for Democratic Progress of Kosovo, as it
also
>>targets the ethnic Albanians supporting Kosovo independence.
>>Since winning the war, the KLA militants have become accustomed to the
>>lucrative criminal underworld and the unfettered authority they have
>>achieved in the region. With the peacekeepers busy trying to calm ethnic
>>hotspots, such as the city of Mitrovica, a battle among the former KLA
>>leaders will now begin to whittle down the power structure. If this is
>>allowed to play out without interference, Kosovo will be left with only
the
>>most criminal and violent factions in control.
>>
>

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