Series of Killings Hit KLA Leaders in Balkans; New Extremist Arms Emerge

Series of Killings Hit KLA Leaders in Balkans; New Extremist Arms Emerge
Defense & Foreign Affairs Special Analysis - November 5, 2005 Saturday

Exclusive. By Valerie Spyroglou, GIS Station South-East Europe. Two mysterious deaths were unveiled in Kosovo and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) during the past months. They were believed to have resulted from secret operations under the framework to fight against terrorism.

On July 13, 2005, at 15:40hrs local, in the area Gniliance, in the Serbian Province of Kosovo, the commandant of the Albanian UCPMB ("Liberation Army of Presheva [Presevo], Medvegja, and Bujanovac"), Mohamet Tzemaili -- known as "Rebeli" (as heard; correct spelling not known) -- was found dead in his car, in an agricultural district. The death appeared to be an accident. Tzemaili, however, was a tough extremist holding close connections with fundamentalist centers in Bosnia, where he had fought during 1993-1995. "Rebeli" was a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA, also known as UCK: Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves, Albanian), while later he joined the UCPMB, which is a branch of KLA in south Serbia, in the Presevo valley.

On the same date, at 23:30hrs, a close associate of "Rebeli", Nouri Mazari, was assassinated outside a bar in FYROM, in the city Struga. Mazari was a member of UCPMB, a volunteer in the Bosnian war in the 1990s, and an active member of the Kosovo Islamists.

On July 12, 2005, a group of Albanian extremists attacked the police station in the village of Vranitsa, close to the city of Tetovo in FYROM. None of the six police officers was hurt.

On July 17, 2005, Albanians extremists attacked with explosives the police station of the district of Bit Bazar in FYROM, with no injuries. For this attack two Albanians -- 19 and 20 years old -- were arrested on August 18, 2005.

On September 5, 2005, the police of FYROM in the village Kodovo seized a large cache of weapons and ammunitions and one 75mm anti-tank PAO and two missile launchers. Kodovo was the center of the Albanian revolt in 2001 in FYROM, while recently Kodovo was controlled by Albanian extremists who were requesting the liberation of the Albanian war criminals.

Since May 2005 it has been observed that KLA extremist groups in Kosovo and FYROM have been reactivated. Analysis made by NATO intelligence reveals that the internal situation in Kosovo is very dangerous and new revolts are forecast, on a larger scale than those of March 2004.

The KLA, then, remains active and has regrouped in order to form a standing army of a proposed independent state of Kosovo. The KLA has already created the spearhead for the national unification of the Albanians -- Front Nacionalno Ujedinewe Albanaca (FNUA) -- which has absorbed the Albanian National Army (Anacalbanska Nacionalna Armija: ANA), and the Albanian liberation army (NLA). Additionally, a national committee has been created for the liberation and defense of the Albanian territory. The group was named as Nacionalni Komitet Za Osloboewe I Odbranu Suin Albanskih Teritorija (NKOOAT).

Meanwhile, ANA consists of the following divisions:

(a) Divija "Adem Jaferi" for southern Serbia (Presevo, Medveza, Bougianobats) and northern Kosovo;

(b) Divija "Skenderloeg" for western FYROM;

(c) Divija "Jamerija" for northwest Greece; and

(d) Divija "Magesija" for Montenegro.

Politically, the FNUA consists of committees responsible for Pristina, Tirane, FYROM, Preveza-Greece, and the Albanian diaspora.

The Albanian politicians of Kosovo and the negotiators over the status of Kosovo are now also being threatened by Albanian extremists who have demanded the independence of Kosovo prior to the negotiations.

The Army for the Independence of Kosovo (UPK) was presented in mid-October 2005, and it stated that it followed "the irresponsible work of the Kosovar negotiators" and for that reason five groups had been activated. Also, it said that if the politicians would not support the orders as these have been stated by the people, they would go through very difficult times on the following days. UPK would have to "follow the decisions of their command" [presumably to punish the negotiators].