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Sasa Djordjevic / AFP - Getty Images
A bulldozer prepares to remove a monument to ethnic Albanians in the Serb town of Presevo, early Sunday.
PRESEVO, Serbia — More than 200 heavily-armed and masked Serbian police took down a memorial to ethnic Albanian guerrillas in Serbia's south overnight, trying to end a row that has highlighted still-simmering tension in the region.
Security forces deployed armored personnel carriers to cordon off the main square in the southern, mainly Albanian, town of Presevo, and hauled away the memorial bearing the names of 27 guerrillas who died during an insurgency in the region in 2001, a Reuters reporter at the scene said on Sunday.
The scale of the operation, which followed weeks of threats and counter-threats between Serbian government officials and local ethnic Albanians, highlighted how fragile the situation remains in the south, which borders Serbia's former Kosovo province.
Majority Albanian Kosovo declared independence in 2008 almost a decade after NATO air strikes wrested control of the territory from Belgrade to end a brutal Serbian counter-insurgency war.
The 2000-2001 insurgency in the southern Serbian regions of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac was widely seen as a spillover of the Kosovo conflict, as ethnic Albanians in Serbia's south pressed to join newly-free Kosovo.
NATO brokered a peace deal, and Serbia pledged greater rights and economic opportunity for the south. But progress has been patchy, and southern Serbia remains the poorest region of a country now aiming to join the European Union.
Ethnic Albanians regard the guerrillas as heroes. Serbia says they are terrorists.
"Serbia has shown enough patience, but it has also sent a clear and strong message that the law must be respected and that no one is stronger than the state," Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said in comments carried by the state news agency Tanjug.
There were no incidents during the police operation.
There are other monuments to the guerrillas in the area, but the one removed overnight held pride of place on Presevo's central square, in front of the local council building. Dacic had described it as a provocation.
Tensions in the region, known as the Presevo Valley, have the potential to complicate EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo aimed at normalizing their relations five years after Kosovo declared independence.
Serbia does not recognize it as sovereign, but is under pressure to cooperate with the new country before the EU moves ahead with Belgrade's bid to join the bloc.
Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions.
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Guess the Oboma administration will take this as an opportunity to have the Lincoln Memorial removed here in the US! You know, as to be more in sink with the New World Order, and all!
You sir are an imbecile. This nothing to do with American politics.
This is actually no different than some southern states wanting to continue to fly the Confederate flag on its government buildings. That war is over, too, but some rednecks still think there's a chance they can secede.
Well ofcourse they removed it. I mean, imagine an Al-Kaida monument in USA...
Well ofcourse they removed it. I mean, imagine an Al-Kaida monument in the USA. It's the same thing.
i believe that the US will break up do to the rise of more ethnic minority's entering our govt., like what ever goes around comes around. it is more like instead of Mexico becoming part of the US, it will be the opposite, as one can already see that the states west of the mississippi are rapidly changing their ethnic status sending more of their represtentives to congress. this is what happened in Serbia, an influx of migrants!
The Serbian terror still continues and their Albanophobia is still the same one of Milosevic (Serbia s actual leadership used to be part of the Milosevic regime cabinet during Yugoslavian wars).
200 masked police officers removed the memorial while the ethnic Albanians were very close to end up with the negotiations and agreed to move it from the center of the town.
This is not the same as if Al Qaeda built a memorial in US because the war in Bujanoc and Preshev (South Serbia) was no different from the one of Kosovo, it was a war for freedom and justice against ethnic cleansing and genocide.
A similar situation of this would be as if the natives built in their reserves a memorial for their grandfathers who have fallen in the war against the Colonizers. And the government of US brings armed troops insides their reserves and destroys their monument.
I brought up the natives example just for the sake of the comparison of the situation, but no ethnic Albanian in Serbia has not even 50% of the rights the natives enjoys in America or Canada.
It is sad how the media distorts the truth and even more sad how you will believe everything you read or hear. It was no war for freedom or justice, but a war of secession. Even today, the albanians from Presevo said that they want to detach from Serbia and be a part of Kosovo. They are literally tearing the Serbia apart.
Albanians are not just a Serb problem, but Macedonian and Greek too. They have a well known plan of creating Greater Albania (google it) and they will do anything to implement that plan.
Those people for whom a memorial was there were the men who killed Serbian soldiers, policeman and civilians in order to execute the plan of Greater Albania. They are terrorists who deserve no justice.
You couldn't be more wrong Light Feather. Kosovo has always been Serbian sacred ground. The Albanians there are just recent interlopers. Their memorial there is more akin to a statue of general Custer on Indian sacred ground.
In Kosovo, from 1999 - 2010. total of 57 Serbian monuments and 84 religious Serbian buildings have been destroyed. There are still only a few Serbian cemeteries left that weren't desecrated by the Albanians. Ofcourse, you never heard about that, but when it comes to an albanian monument to terrorists, the news echoes around the world.
The massacres towards Albanians from Slavic (Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Macedonia) and Greek nations in Balkan did not start in 1999, with the terror in Kosovo, but started since 1878 right after the conference of Berlin and it becomes bigger in 1913 after the Conference of Ambassadors at London.
Albanian population reached the city of Nis and the region of Toplic in 1878, but they were expelled to Turkey and pushed south border due to ethic cleansing.
Of course Serbs and the others did not do these alone, they were helped by Russians while other European nations were closing one eye.
(Google) Massacres_of_Albanians_in_the_Balkan_Wars
Oooooooh, nooooooo, Light Feather!
This started in 10-something A.D., when a bunch of English and French Noblemen - who just happened to be out of peasants to 'put the squeeze on', but up to their necks in debt to their Florentine and Venetian Bankers - decided to GO ON CRUSADE!!!
Er, or, wait-a-minute!
Maybe it was when abu Bakr got some pages to, "The Art of Tribal Warfare", mixed in with the pages of the book that became the "Holy Qu'ran"; or, alternatively, when he decided to put the suras together in the wrong chronological order?
Look into it!
The only time the crusader fought the Byzantines was during the Fourth Crusade and even than the Arbers (medieval Albanians) did not fight. The conflict was between the West versus Greeks Hellenes and Slavs over Constantinople. This crusade weakened Byzantine and made it easier for the Turks to capture it. Ottomans collaborated with other Slavs to take over Byzantine.
I do not know any Arabic therefore i cannot read the suras in the Koran.
What is your point?
Attention Serbians!
You will start ANOTHER World War OVER YOUR DEAD BODIES!!!
Love, America and NATO.
They started ww1 so they thought they could start ww3..
Love Albania, Albanians and the USA and the Americans..
Would give my life for both countries any day of the week.
It is indisputable that there were crimes on both sides. What about notorious albanian SS Skanderbeg division in WWII, which viciously murdered, raped and tortured thousand and thousand of Serbs and non-Albanians thoughout the entire so called Greater Albania ?
Nevertheless, all that is nothing compared to the crimes you did to American natives. Why don't you give them their country back? You see, the difference is the Serbian entire history is tied to Kosovo which was always in it's borders. However, you came, killed all those people and claimed the land as your own. And know you have the decency to talk about injustice?
Your memory is typical Serbian - selective.
Did you know that Albania had more Jewish People after the war then before the war.
I would have become a Martian 'XYZ' soldier if I am to defend my family against the coldblooded Serb.
Thats how you are known by all of the 6 neighbouring nations. Coldblooded, murderous and deceitful.
You're having 'issues' not only with us Albanians but also with Croats, Hungarians, Bulgarians, Bosnians and FYROM-anians.
Serbs will forever justify their genocidal actions.
The Slavic (Serbian, Montenegro, Macedonians, Bulgarian) and Greek attack over Albanians began since 1884 and culminated in 1913.
The formation of SS Skanderbeg in 1943 was more of a defense move from the ethnic Albanians rather than a battalion to be formed in order to take over the world.
There is no such thing as Greater Albania, I have heard and read about Ethnic Albania or Natural Albania, but not Greater Albania. I have heard and read over Greater Serbia or Greater Greece, or Greater Macedonia.
it is true that there was war between natives and European settlers (you and I should thank these colonizers because it was thanks to them that both of us live in this blessed north American soil), but it is no different from the way how the Slavs settled in Balkan. Slavs also tried to colonize the land within Byzantine (Serbian and Bulgarian Empires even though they did not last long.)
However, both America and Canada did recognize the evil done towards first nations and they publicly demanded forgiveness and accepted that what they did what wrong.
Natives are one of the most privileged citizens in North America, even though not all of them do take advantages of theses privileges.
What has the state of Serbia done for its own natives living in Bujanoc and Preshev?
Did Serbia asked for forgiveness for all of the suffering it has created not only to Albanians, but to Croats, Bosnian, and Slovenians?
Does Serbia even recognizes the ethnic cleansing and the genocides created fro the wars it started itself?
talking about decency ...
There is no point arguing with them Serbs. Just point him out to Any FREE online encyclopaedia like Encyclopaedia Britannica (not wiki of course). They all know that their origins are in Mongolia or thereabouts..
Hold on here a second, every history book about Europe, or every national archives of the western nations states that the Serbs have arrived in the Balkans from eastern Europe, and first settled in the centre of the balkans known as Rashka, and not Kosovo, and that the Albanians are the only Natives in the Balkans. Hence the entire western goverments have recognised Kosovo as an Independent state (par Spain we all know about Catalonia)
Let me remind you that, the Albanian language belongs to the Indo-European family of languages and not to a Sllavic branch. And Kosovo was always inhabited by Albanians, not only Kosovo but the entire Southern Serbia.The worst massacres ever happened in Europe were committed by the Serbs against all of its neighbours, specially towards Albanians. So, before you spread the Serbian 'myths' in the English language sites please have in mind that the entire world is not as ignorant to the European history as the common Serb who has been brainwashed by a Serbian government doctrine 'Necrtanja' - How to inhabit non Serb populated areas with Serbian speaking peoples.
This article's headline needs to be changed and I'm not surprised that the author of the document is Serbian. "Albanian Rebels" more like "Albanian troops who fought in Kosova's war for independence" or "Albanian Freedom Fighters" not rebels, you biased non-informed douchebag of a writer
I love the title of this. Great job on the author's part and I am not surprised that he is a Serbian author who is obviously biased to this issue and should not be allowed to comment any longer. "Albanian rebels" more like "Albanian heroic men who fought in Kosova's war of independence". It was either fight for independence or get slaughtered by the Nazis of the Balkans
Just to chime in on albanians and musims, all linked to Osama bin laden and his combatants. US source:
"Albania
Some Muslim charitable organizations may be operating as a front for terrorism and possibly for guerrilla operations in the neighboring Yugoslav region of Kosovo. In June, the United States assis-ted in the capture of members of Egypt's Islamic Jihad -- a group with ties to bin Laden -- and their extradition to Egypt.
U.S. officials say an attempt to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Tirana was thwarted this month. Islamic Jihad leader Ayman Zawahri, a close associate of bin Laden, had warned earlier of retaliation for the extradition of his operatives.
Bosnia
Bin laden formed alliances with Bosnian Muslims during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. He reportedly funneled money and arms to Bosnia's Muslim-led government, and followers of bin Laden were among guerrillas from other nations who fought alongside the Bosnian Muslims."
So, you ablanian raghead lovers, go with your Osama somewhere else. In the US we know who he was.
I do not think there is any sympathy of Albanians towards Osama (if there is any why should it be?), towards Islam or towards any other religion in general at all.
It was a strong reason why Albania self declared itself as the First Atheist country in the world and prohibited the practicing of every religion.(Few states in Balkan have sinned in the name of religion)
If you re curious I ve witnessed pic. of people in Belgrade celebrating the 9/11 believing that was Serbian Karma striking back.
Muslim extremist try to penetrate within Albania s economically poor zones whenever they see possibility. (It is not a surprise Serbian/Russian gov. encourages them, because the extremist are a threat to Albanian stability as well. Albanians have fought the extremist for 400 years during the Ottoman Empire and Albanians will not embrace them nor their Shariah law just like that - this will never happen, Turks tried for 400 yrs they did not succeed, nobody else will.)
A presence of America (troops) in Albania or in areas populated by Albanians will scare the extremist Muslims away.
Albanians are fighting the radical Muslims as much as any other country member of NATO is.
Besides NATO (America) there was no other force that backed up KLA.
Bosnia is another business, in Bosnia jihads volunteered and fought for Islam.
In Kosovo besides ethnic Albanians it was only NATO troops.
I forgot the link. Osama seem to be pal of albanians. Google Washington Post
Seems that the most important thing is that decent christian people fight for the reasons of justice, and muslim extremist, and albaniann (however you spell it) fighters fight just for the cause, no mater what. So Al-Qaeeda . . . and the US was supporting them against christian Serbs. I'm feeling bad for being american when reading something like that . . .
Seems as if you confuse decent people with religion. One does not have to be either a christian nor a muslim to be considered a decent person.
If you think that decency = christian believers, then I m sorry but you better keep on feeling bad about yourself.
Socrates, Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Phyrros of Epir were not neither Christians neither Muslims yet they were few of great decent people the world has known.
Christian extremist are no different from Muslim extremist. Someone who kills and sins in the name of religion is not a believer nor is a decent person.
Let me enlighten you, in the whole wide world, with all the nations and countries, with all the different dialects and peoples and ethnicities, amongst all these billions and billions of people, the biggest approval of USA and its peoples who ever is running the country Democrats or Republicans are ALBANIANS. And the figure in percentage is %98. Thats by faaar more then any place, country, continent i the whooole wide world, thats even more then your own citizens. (if indeed you are an American)
And besides the USA and the UK, the only country who has troops in the first line of fire and ready for combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, are guess who, the ALBANIANS. There are more statues of American presidents in Albania (Kosovo) then in America.
My friend every Albanian has it engraved in his heart that it wasn't for Americans there wouldn't be not only Kosovo but Albania too. And Albanians would rather die then forget the favour.
I give my life for my mother country because she gave me birth. But I give my life for USA my because I OWE it to her. Me, my children, my children's children are forever indebted to America. An Albanian never forgets.
Greetings from London, UK.
Serbs my friend, are dreaming of the collapse, or a destruction of the USA like all of its Sllavic cousins.
Trust your government as they know much better then you who their best friend is in the world
God bless America and Albania!!!!
Sure dude, whatever rocks your boat . . . What you are saying on Albanian mujahedeens is essentially the same story in which the Pakistanis are trying to make us believe. Well, you could sell that to Bill Clinton, but guess what, we have now the whole different prez.
That quote is from Washington Post and is referring to the CIA reports. There’s also snippet on the presence of Iranian secret service in Albania. So, that’s it for the “we hate mujahedeens” shtick.
There are online reports done by human rights watch groups and Hague tribunal prosecutors Carla Del Ponti and Dick Marty (american guy) (Google for it) on human organ trafficking in the Balkans ran by Albanian mafia. And as far as I understand there is ongoing investigation by UN and the Europeans. So, with your logic displayed in the upper post, since Serbs, other Slavic nationals, Greeks and other christians was mean to Albanians, its only logic and their right to kidnapped their people, murder and butcher them, and sell their organs on the black market?
Sorry, man, but that’s just pure sick.
Which CIA report, which papers?
The biggest mujahedeens in the balkans are greeks and the serbs, hence the serbs have lost their territory in Croatia and now Kosovo. Don't worry, the American government knows the Pakistan and other countries like serbia and the rest of russian satellites, who have always throughout the 20th century caused stir to the western world, and now you the serbs try to portray the Albanians as the muslim fanatics. Funny the greatest Christian hero and the greatest Christian warrior was Albanian.
Greece tried to steal half a trillion of European money, serbs have started ww1 which is responsible of killing a million of christian lives. Anyway what did the serbs ever do for christianity Albanians gave three popes to Vatican, Scanderbeg greatest of them all....
Don't come here to ballad with so called facts and lies, and with 'I forgot to provide the link', the American government and the EU know of the Albanians, better then you Serbs - the land obsessed Mongolians, as you tried to portray them. And if that was true they would never ever go to war against the 'christian' serbs, who never ever keep their word unlike the Albanians. Serbs have always throughout the history been Russian satellite, and starting wars in Europe.
Remember this, you Slavs can never ever stir trouble in Europe again, you and the greeks are the biggest scum of Europe. You have stollen lied and betrayed throughout your miserable little history. Both of you have tried to blackmail Europe and the USA in the last 20 years with the WW3, you the Serbs with your Butcher/Mongol of the balkans Miloshevic, and the greeks as recent as 2 years ago.
You and the so called modern 'Greeks' share the same origins like your cousin Turk and thats Mongolia. What are Greeks but Orthodox Turks.
At least the Turks have some dignity and are not as deceitful as you the scumbags of Mongolian steps.
Albanians know their roots and thats Europe but you too know your roots and thats Russia and Mongolia.
JAY REID i dont know what this markoalbania guy is talking about, albania if you ask any european nation will tell you how bad the people are from that country, there are problems in every country where ever there is albanian people, they are ruining europe!and the U.S.A, they are the biggest drug dealers in europe, human trafficing, murders that happen for no reason are from albanians, when the cops make a arrest the albanians allways have a different passport from other countrys but there own, but the law inforcement are not stupid anymore they make sure when they arrest the criminal they display where the criminals country of origin is ALBANIA! if you watch the movie taken one & taken two its base on a true story, rent the movies and you will learn 100% of what albanians are
What??
You ignorant pig, the biggest drug dealer of Europe is a Mongolistani SERB! DARKO SARIC
Serbia is the biggest criminal of Europe. Serbia has declared war to more countries that All countries of the west put together.
Criminals of Europe are the Serbs, not the Albanians. You are coming here with the movie facts?
Watch in the Angelina Jolie's In the land of blood and honey' then you stupid ignorant pig.
Don't you worry, Albania is in NATO soon Kosovo will be part of Albania. While Serbia will always have two faces one towards Russia and one in Europe. But dont you worry you little insignificant Mongol, Europe has called your bluff manny a times.
Go and start another war somewhere you sick mongol.
to joe slav/jay reid (same person?) :)
The biggest drug distributor of Europe is a SERB Mr Darko Saric, who worked together with the Serbian government, but don't you worry USA has got them cornered both the Serb government and Darko Saric. One in hiding the other one in opposition.
there you go again a un educated albanian calling people names on the post, may be your 15 years old markoalbania,why dont you learn how to spell the english language,well its understanding why you spell the way you do, cause albania is the poorest country in europe and does'nt have the sources to educate there people, so thats why all they know how to do is steal, traffic woman, and drug dealing, and again albania does not belong in europe,i wanna ask you one thing why do all albanians never say there from albania, is it cause there ashame of there country' they allways say there from yugoslavia,greece,italy and every other country besides theres,albania is a muslim! country that does not! again i repeat! does not belong in europe!
Dont worry about my religion, as more Albanians died for CHRISTIANITY then all of you Slavs put together.
Albanians have a left a legacy in the CHRISTIANITY then all of the mongols put together. My people gave 3 popes to VAtican countless bishops. The Mongols got Christianity, thats right from Albanians. ST Paul came to Albania you stupid MONGOL.
When we fought for Christianity, you Mongols/Slavs have done treaties. The only people who have resisted Otoman invasion were the Albanians with Scanderbeg and Leke Dukagjini and many others, hats off to Hungarians, the only ally Christian Albania had in fighting the Otomans.
If we have done treaties like you did Serbia wouldn't existed, Albania would have been all Greece and Serbia included you Mongoloid imbecile...
Thats right my name is Huseini, Huseini John Belushi, and Huseini Mother Theresa, and Peter Malota, and Robert Pastorelli and Joe Dio Guardi, and George Tenant (cia), and Gjon Mili, and (partly)Robert de Niro etc etc..
My people speak Indoeuropean language and my ancestors bones are in the Balkans Europe. Yours are in MOngolia and Afganistan you effing BORAT.
Go and F yourself you stupid ignorant Mongol.......
markoalbania you sure ur name is marko not hussien,albanians are the low low low life's in europe, just like the yemen's are in the middleeast, thats why they need to get the hell out of europe
albanians could you please go back to the middleeast, will even transport you there for FREE, this is a message from the U.S.A & EUROPE
Albanians are staying where they have been before, in Europe. You mongoloids go back to where you came from to countries like tajikistan etc....
You stupid Mongol, We are USA (countless senators are of Albanian origins in the US senate) we are Europe...You are MONGOLIA
Name SLAV comes from an old Ilyrian/Albanian word SCHLIAVO which means SLAVE.
stupid albanian that has no clue of history, why dont you guys put road signs up in ur country so people know where there driving on ur dirt roads,i was in ur country two years ago i maybe seen 6 signs in the whole country,if you dont shut up im gunna have some of the european countrys stop sending food to ur country and even shut ur water off,the only thing we wont stop supplying you is sling shots so you guys will kill eachother, remember i said sling shots' thats all you guys know how to use like the palistine's in the middleeast' there rock thrower's, you guys at least are a step forward you know how to use sling shots,STUPID MUSLIM ALBANIAN,why dont you sling a sling shot and yell alahhhhhh ackbarrrrrrrrrr!
i use to have a albanian girlfriend, when i would do her' she use to ask me to yell at her all the time SEPTAR! i never knew why she allways use to tell me to yell SEPTAR! SEPTAR! SEPTAR! and she would go wild in bed, then i finally found out what that meant,everytime i would see her afterwards' i would yell SEPTAR! and she would take all her cloths off,and then i would F-her hard