[ALBSA-Info] Peacekeepers Shift Kosovo Mission

[Gazhebo at aol.com]

Peacekeepers Shift Kosovo Mission

By COLLEEN BARRY

  
CAMP BONDSTEEL, Yugoslavia (AP) - Two years into their mission in Kosovo, 
U.S. forces have made a significant strategic shift, launching foot patrols 
in the mountains to cut supply lines to ethnic Albanian rebels in Macedonia - 
and preserve the fragile peace in Kosovo. 

While U.S. troops have mounted foot patrols throughout their deployment, the 
key difference is that U.S. forces since last month have been operating under 
specific orders to increase surveillance and interdictions along the rugged 
mountain border. 

``There is no way to shut the border completely and there are many places 
they can get supplies from other than the Kosovo border,'' Col. Anthony Tata, 
deputy commander of the U.S. forces in Kosovo, told The Associated Press in 
an interview Tuesday outlining the new operation. ``But it is obvious based 
on the quantity of equipment we have received that we have had an impact.'' 

Since sending out the first patrols on June 7, U.S. forces based in Kosovo 
have intercepted and seized a convoy of five rebel SUVs and four mule trains 
- all laden with arms, food, clothing and medical supplies, and all making 
their way to reinforce rebel lines in neighboring Macedonia. 

They also have secured at least five caches of weapons hidden under brush, 
and detained 124 rebels. 

So far, the rebels have not fought back, Tata said. One soldier, however, 
lost a foot last week when he stepped on a land mine. 

NATO command in Pristina ordered the mission shift in June following a 
NATO-brokered peace that calmed fighting between ethnic Albanian guerrillas 
and Serb troops in the Presovo valley in neighboring Serbia, which borders 
the U.S. sector in Kosovo. 

That success freed resources to launch the intensified patrols under the 
command of American Brig. Gen. William C. David at the same moment that the 
rebel Albanian insurgency in Macedonia intensified, Tata said. 

The rebels are battling in northern Macedonia, near the Kosovo border, in 
what they say is a campaign for greater rights for that country's ethnic 
Albanian minority. The Macedonian government calls the rebels separatists 
trying to carve out an ethnic Albanian region. 

``Gen. David's intent here is important. He wants to show resolve in 
assisting (Macedonia) by disrupting logistical and recruiting operations in 
our sector that are supported by the National Liberation Army,'' as the 
Macedonian rebel force is known, Tata said. 

The U.S. mission to maintain security in Kosovo remains the primary goal, he 
said, adding: ``The movement and the smuggling is disruptive to the safe and 
secure environment in Kosovo.'' 

One particularly productive night in the Sar mountains, four U.S. infantry 
soldiers seized rebel Albanian SUVs maneuvering a muddy, mountaintop goat 
track toward the Macedonian border, blocking the lead vehicle in a ravine. 

The impressive take on June 8 was a blow to the rebels' resupply efforts: 
rifles, machine guns, ammunition drums, mortar components - plus uniforms, 
boots, bottled water, cans of food, bags of flour, medical supplies and 
50,000 German marks - or about $25,000 - which Tata believes was the rebel 
payroll. 

``This was a dangerous mission. Every rebel in these vehicles had a loaded 
weapon and there were 11 that they saw,'' Tata said. The four soldiers 
captured six without resistance; the others fled. 

Helicopters moved in immediately to secure the area and prevent the rebels 
from regrouping and trying to retake the supplies. Ground forces followed, 
helping with the detainees and removing seized equipment. 

That was the first success. A day earlier, patrols found four cases of mortar 
ammunition hidden beneath deadfall. Rather than securing the arms, they 
placed the cache under surveillance. On June 9, U.S. soldiers captured four 
rebels returning for the weapons. 

Battalion commanders then turned their focus to mule trains spotted in the 
mountains near the border - intercepting four in one weekend. The seizure 
included 10 rocket propelled grenades, 16 cases of 12.7 ammunition, 23 cases 
of explosive, 103 82 mm mortar rounds and 23 boxes of fuses, along with cans 
of chicken, bags of bread and brand-new boots. 

The interdictions so far have focused on a radius of several miles where 
reconnaissance teams identified a heavily traveled network of foot paths. 

``They have been operating in this area for a long time,'' Tata said. ``They 
have a very good information network. Everybody seems to be connected. The 
shepherd will report to the woodcutter that the U.S. forces are here. So you 
have to be somewhat crafty about how you develop your patrol plans.'' 

Tata saw evidence of the mission's success when he led last week's mission to 
escort rebel soldiers out of Aracinovo, a suburb of the Macedonian capital 
Skopje they held for two weeks. Rebels stores were low, he said, with 
possibly just a two-week supply remaining.