SERB OFFICIALS WARN ABOUT AL-QA'IDAH ACTIVITY IN KOSOVO
BBC Monitoring International Reports - November 24, 2004

Excerpt from report by M.B: "Trajkovic: Haradinaj and Ceku in contact with Al-Qa'idah", published by Montenegrin newspaper Dan on 24 November - subheading as published

Rada Trajkovic, deputy chairwoman of the Serb National Council for Northern Kosovo-Metohija, has revealed that "representatives of the international community, particularly those in charge of security, report that camps of the Al-Qa'idah terrorist organization are becoming firmly entrenched in the Kosovo-Metohija area". She warned about the dangers that threaten the remaining Serb population in our southern Serbian province.

"Kosovo-Metohija is one of the important centres of Al-Qa'idah. Members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) helped this terrorist organization to establish itself in the area. Their numbers are growing," Trajkovic pointed out.

She added that members of Al-Qa'idah are being financed by powerful countries.

"At present there are several hundred members of Al-Qa'idah in Kosmet (Kosovo-Metohija)," Trajkovic added.

She warned that the white (European) Al-Qa'idah threat is growing, even outside Kosovo-Metohija. (Passage omitted)

"They are being supported by Kfor (Kosovo Force) soldiers and policemen from Muslim countries," Trajkovic said.

She listed the locations of camps of these terrorist organizations: southern Mitrovica, Bajgora, the village of Zur near Suva Reka and there are some in Kosovsko Pomoravlje, close to US Kfor forces. (Passage omitted)

"Kfor international forces and all members of NATO know that members of Al-Qa'idah are operating in Kosovo-Metohija," Trajkovic pointed out.

She proceeded to reveal that "the report sent by Italian General Minni realistically describes the security situation in Kosmet".

"Al-Qa'idah members are identified in some official documents of the international forces. Unfortunately, members of this terrorist organization are arriving 'thanks' to some Western countries," Trajkovic said. She believes that "Belgrade should have done more and should have looked for partners in the fight against terrorism". Trajkovic said that "Kfor and other representatives of the international community in Kosmet are interested in the presence of members of Al-Qa'idah and are talking about it openly".

"That is why they are behind ramparts, while the Serb population is left defenceless," Trajkovic pointed out.

Milan Ivanovic, chairman of the Serb National Council for northern Kosovo-Metohija, said that "Kosovo is a centre of international terrorism".

"Members of Al-Qa'idah are in contact with mojahedin from Bosnia. Muhammad Al-Zawahiri, brother of Ayman Al-Zawahiri, right hand of Usamah Bin-Ladin, led units from Bosnia during terrorist attacks against Serbs in Kosmet. The Abu Baqr Sadiq mojahedin unit is operating in southern Mitrovica and eight of its members have been arrested already. They were in Serbian prisons. However, the international community intervened and the unit leader Ekrem Avdiu was released," Ivanovic said. He revealed that (?Armen Kamel) from Saudi Arabia arrived in Kosovo and is leading some mojahedin units and that this fact represents a serious threat to the Kosovo Serbs.

"This is why the international community is afraid to extradite Albanians accused of war crimes to the Hague tribunal," Ivanovic concluded.

Wahhabi centre in Pec

Ljubisa Jovasevic, senior official of the Democratic Party of Serbia, who has been warning about the Al-Qa'idah presence in this area, says that "a centre for Wahhabis, holy Muslim warriors, has been set up in Pec (city in western Kosovo) and is headed by a certain Mahmutovic from Sjenica (town in Serbia)".

"Two Egyptians have set up a regional office in Plovdiv (city in Bulgaria) and it is believed that the centre is linked to Al-Qa'idah," Jovasevic said, adding that "Wahhabis are active in the Stari Vlah region and in Rozaje (town in northern Montenegro)".

"Members of Al-Qa'idah are being financed by drug trafficking whose channels lead from Istanbul through Tirana to Pristina," Jovasevic revealed.
 

Source: Dan, Podgorica, in Serbian 24 Nov 04 p 4

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