More bombs in Kosovo

Coordinated armed assaults started last February when Serb refugees from Croatia were attacked in houses they were accommodated in. During the spring, Serb civilians and police were the targets of a series of attacks, which resulted in reprisals leaving several ethnic Albanians dead and wounded. The autumn began with assaults on so-called loyal Albanians, individuals who tried to keep a low profile while cooperating with Serb authorities, regarded occupational by their compatriots.

Although there is ground for suspicion that similar incidents had happened even earlier, it is now beyond doubt that planned executions of such individuals began last September. A police inspector, Chazim Bajgora of Podujevo, was murdered near his home in September and Faik Belopoja was assassinated near Pristina on December 26. Malic Seholi, known for his pro-Serb activities, was killed on January 9, while Fazli Hasani was executed in a Srbica marketplace in broad daylight four days later. Unlike Bajgora and Seholi, Belopoja and Hasani had enjoyed the reputation of "honest Albanians" in their hometowns only.

Meanwhile, Serb police inspector Milos Nikolic and a municipal clerk were murdered on October 25. It is believed that the Papovic assassination attempt was part of the operation which started last year, with the obvious change in method and an apparent intention to take out a ranking figure. An unknown organization calling itself the Kosovo Liberation Army claimed responsibility for almost all the attacks, including the one on the university rector.

A statement released by the organization says: "This execution (Papovic was left for dead by the perpetrators) is a warning to all collaborators and traitors, especially those prepared to barter some kind of an agreement with the enemy, offering an excuse that they are doing so under alleged pressure from international organizations".

Leader of Kosovo Albanians Ibrahim Rugova expressed his doubt over the existence of such an organization more than once, saying ethnic Albanians were being charged with the attacks in order to discredit their non-violent resistance.

Ethnic Albanian civilians believe they are being set up by various Serb military formations, even the secret service, with the aim of keeping permanent tension in the province so that the Serb authorities always have a valid excuse for repressive measures, should the need for such action arise during possible inter-Serbian or other clashes in the future. The odd champions of the theory that their own compatriots are behind the incidents say that they are probably motivated by the belief that only this kind of resistance is effective in present circumstances.

Nevertheless, ethnic Albanians generally feel that their Serb authorities have created chaos in Kosovo in order to keep them in a permanent state of terror. If the latest outbreak of terror has been precipitated by ethnic Albanians, it is believed that only more violence and bloodshed will follow. Both the Serbs and the Albanians in Kosovo find it hard to believe that all those armies, police units and military formations covering virtually every inch of territory have so far been unable to apprehend and bring to trial even a single culprit.