Serbs Mob U.S. Peacekeepers
By Memli Krasniqi
Associated Press Writer
Thursday, May 11, 2000; 10:06 a.m. EDT
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia –– Serbs mobbed U.S. soldiers with the Kosovo
peacekeeping force, slightly injuring one of the Americans before dispersing
early today, NATO said. The commander of the peacekeepers denounced the
attacks.
Elsewhere, thousands of ethnic Albanians packed a hillside just outside the
southern city of Prizren for the funeral of a former commander of the Kosovo
Liberation Army who in the past months had turned to creating peace in the
province before being gunned down Monday.
The slaying of Ekrem Rexja, better known as Drini, was seen as a setback to
U.N. and NATO attempts to reduce tensions in Kosovo. Drini had cooperated
with German peacekeepers in the Prizren area and had considerable influence
with the region's ethnic Albanian population.
Both incidents involving the Americans began Wednesday in Vrbovac, 35 miles
west of Pristina. A total of 200 to 300 Serbs "attacked ... U.S.
peacekeepers, throwing stones and hurling insults and threats," said NATO.
The injured soldier received stitches for a cut in his face.
Serbs attacked a patrol of U.S. military police in one instance as they
responded to an explosion that destroyed an abandoned house, said the
statement.
In the other incident, U.S. troops guarding a Serbian Orthodox church were
surrounded and attacked before reinforcements "calmed the situation."
American soldiers make up 5,900 of the 37,000 NATO-led peacekeepers in the
province, sent to Kosovo nearly a year ago after NATO bombing forced a peace
settlement in the province.
Lt. Gen. Juan Ortuno of Spain, who commands the overall force, denounced the
"violence and attacks on my ... soldiers who are here to solely to assist the
people create a peaceful prosperous community and region."
Elsewhere, near the central town of Glogovac, peacekeepers told residents of
the region that they had until Saturday to turn in any illegal weapons after
a search of several houses turned up two anti-tank missiles, 20
rocket-propelled grenades and seven grenade launchers, a machine gun and over
60,000 rounds of rifle ammunition.
Owners of any weapons found after that would be arrested, NATO said.
Near Prizren, about 55 miles south of Pristina, thousands of people gathered
around an open dirt field where Drini's body was to be buried. NATO
peacekeepers closed off most roads surrounding the site to control the
crowds.
"I just want to say goodbye," said Ismail Krasniqi, 62. "He was the
commander, he was the top person here in the KLA."
Drini was killed outside his house early Monday morning by assailants using
automatic weapons who shot him nine times. No arrests have been made but
people at the funeral blamed their traditional enemies – the Serbs.
"The hand of the Serbs killed him," said Isa Kastrate, an unemployed
27-year-old from Prizren. "He was really intelligent, a nice guy. The Serbs
don't want leaders like that."
Still, there was speculation that radical Kosovo Albanians interested in
maintaining a climate of uncertainty in the province might have had more to
win in eliminating someone bent on reconciliation and peace. Drini had been a
senior official in the U.N.-controlled interim Kosovo government.
© Copyright 2000 The Associated Press
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