OxBlog

Friday, March 19, 2004

# Posted 3:00 PM by Patrick Belton  

KOSOVO HAS ERUPTED IN VIOLENCE, with ethnic Albanians attacking Serb homes and churches in each city in the province. Clashes have occurred in every city in Kosovo, and 500 have been wounded, with 31 dead. Almost 1,000 Serbs have fled their homes, and a U.S. admiral on the ground has called the events tantamount to ethnic cleansing, in the region that gave the world that term. A second trustworthy commentator (National Interest's managing editor) has quoted a UN source as calling the last days' events "Kristallnacht". "It was all planned in advance," said a UN spokesman in Kosovo, noting that rumours (falsely) blaming Serbs for the deaths of several Albanian children circulated only shortly before busloads of armed Albanians arrived in Kosovska Mitrovica to begin razing the city's Serbian quarter. The UN, in response to the nationwide planned violence, with typical courage withdrew its missions from at least three cities in Kosovo. Nato allies are preparing to send additional peacekeepers.

Our thoughts are with the innocent members of both Kosovar communities who are suffering now the reprisals and aftermath of this act of genocide by Albanian leaders.
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