4 children hurt in Kosovo land mine blast

The Serbian army gave over all its documented and marked mine fields when NATO entered Serbia.

However, the KLA didn't keep documentation on all the mines it planted - and it was notorious in planting mines to blow up Serbian police vehicles and police.

More likely the unfound ones were planted by the KLA.

"How come the Serbian Army, seven years after the war, has not given this information on the location on mine fields?"

Well victor I guess i will asnwer this one for you. It is because our province is being occupied by nato and albanians.

I am so sorry for these kids. I hope everything will be all right with them. And for God's sake whay the mines are not removed? Why KFOR did not ask information on mine fields from Serbian Army? Who knows how many mine fields are there

«Why KFOR did not ask information on mine fields from Serbian Army?»

How come the Serbian Army, seven years after the war, has not given this information on the location on mine fields?

That is the only logical way to phrase your sentence, my friend!

Victor,

As much as your blindness is concerned, the VJ (army) GAVE NATO the information it needed for safe entrance after the Kumanovo agreement..

You seem to have forgotten, that although war is ugly, the two army organizations had chordial and professional input for de-mining, and safe movement, entrance and exit...

You really need to dig into the archives, and look closely at what happened militarily...
Just to prove my point Victor, do you remember huge reports of mass devastation after the first Gulf war?? America's might was shown for all the world top see..
Why wasn't that information tabloided when NATO safely walked into Kosovo??
Did you not think it was ironic??

My point being....who knows where those leftovers mines have come from?
But i doubt that it was held back from the Serbian Army command.

As far as the children are concerned, it's very sad....

So Victor, put yourself in the children's skin..
At this point, I'm sure they don't care WHERE the mines came from right now....

How pathetic, Albanians blaming Serbs and Serbs blaming Albanians for a mine which blew up CHILDREN. Do you think Afghans ask questions when their families are blown to pieces? It's a good guess that it's left over from 30 years of warfare, left over by who knows. I suspect they didn't leave a forwarding address, as is the case in Kosovo.

From what I understand, there was a war fought in Kosovo between Serbs and Albanians, and people killed, murdered, burned, raped, tortured, disgraced themselves and their neighbors. They disgraced humanity, both Serbs and Albanians. Don't you all get that, are you all that stupid and not realize that we as Albanians and Serbs started this war TOGETHER? I am a proud Serb, who is disgusted with the with the state of affairs. These children, whether Serbian or Albanian are now suffering because their parents couldn't find a way to disagree without picking up arms and destroying each other's communities to ashes. Both communities need to take a step back, stop this absolutism that one community is superior than the other. WE ARE ALL GUILTY in this disaster, but all children of innocent. 59 children died in Afghanistan yesterday...tell me what they did to deserve such as tragic end? Is that what Serbians and Albanians wish for their future generations?

Unless we find a war to disengage from destroying one another, to live in peace and with respect, I fear many more mothers and fathers will be shedding tears as this insanity continues. My heart goes out to all the children, SERBIAN and ALBANIAN who suffer under the teaching of their parents. Shame on you all!

"...During the same time, Albanian children are at risk keeping flocks in the fields."

Then give money for demining or go to Kosovo and find them yourself.

This is sad news.

A professional army documents the whereabouts of all their land minds.

Access to the documents by legal authorities should be permitted if it is not used as a border division. It is always sad to read land mines harming children.

Very well said, pt and ida.

In Bosnia, NATO and the UN took the responsibility to remove landmines using local labour.

Gentlemanly "ahem" towards NATO pencil pushers in Belgium.

Your Tzar Lazar holy warriors put those mines --- back in the day they were called "Serbian Army."

B92 how are RATKO's messages making it through?
Racism is insultin.

I think we all agree it's terrible these children were injured.

Hopefully the Serbian army will forward any information but perhaps some mines were shifted in land slides. And some of the 'unexploded ordinance' is from NATO bombing.

France is still finding unexploded hombs from WW1.

Very sad. Mines kill long after wars are over.

Mine maps should have been hander over long ago.

That said, it's only now that the US is providing information of where they dropped their mines/bomblets

Ida, I don't believe a word you write. And tell your friend Ratko to think twice before he answers.

During the same time, Albanian children are at risk keeping flocks in the fields.

let's be human beings here first and wish the kids to get well asap.
then and only then let's debate bloody war and politics of war and what not.

"...children were guarding their family's sheep herd Thursday when the blast occurred ..."
A all too familiar story. Lets send pictures and stories of every tragic casuality of landmines, to the weapon manufacturers board and directors.
Even they must have some compassion(?)

I feel really sorry for the children that were hurt in the land mine blast and I sincerely wish the children a quick and full recovery.
These are children and ethnicity does not come into mind.
As for the land mines, the big question is, was it a
KLA land mine,
NATO land mine, OR
Serb land mine OR
Other.
I think it is so overdue, to continue to "blame" instead of "begin to cure" the CANCER within Kosovo.

To Victor -

It's quite difficult to hold Serbia accountable for an undeclared war.

Furthermore, if you look at the whole picture - where is the documentation on the land mines that were left behind by NATO?

The only ones that should be held accountable for this atrocity is UNMIK as they are the ones that have made headlines on being the ultimate peacekeepers in Serbian KosovO!

Victor says,
IT WOULD HELP TO CHANGE the negative image we have of you all.

I have little regard for your dangerous concept of collective guilt.
No one on this forum, regardless of their opinions, should feel guilty because of what you say.
Your rantings and ever-changing opinions have little value and produce nothing positive.

«Then give money for demining or go to Kosovo and find them yourself.»


Why should I pay for the mistakes of your nation?

As a Canadian, why should I do your work? You should be the first one to go there to repair what your people have done and continue to do to innocent people?

Well victor I guess i will asnwer this one for you. It is because our province is being occupied by nato and albanians.
(Ratko, 9. November 2007 20:25)
Now you just showed your true face Ratko. For you 2 milion Albanians means nothing, right , as far as you are concerend Albanians are not human beings. Shame on you.
ida always put the blame on KLA, what happened to Serbian police,army, paramilitaries and foreighn mercenaries, such as greeks, russians etc...? which murdered civilians without prejudice. Shame on you.

« WE ARE ALL GUILTY in this disaster.»

I do not agree, and most historians will also disagree with you. History will teach that Milosevic refused to negociate, even to discuss with other parties, for the simple reason that he had his own agenda: WAR. No negociations could remove non-Serbs from territories highly-coveted by the Serbs to create Greater Serbia.

I would aven add that as a Serb, you don't have to feel guilty for Milosevic's decision to send 60 000 troops in Kosovo to massacre the population and expulse them from their land.

The only thing the Albanians wanted is a bit of freedom, a bit of autonomy, in managing their own affairs. And Milosevic denied them all basic rights, and the Albanians rose against the dictator and I say that they were right in doing so..

Simply said, the Albanians did not start the war; they simply rose against a dictator, asking for the respect of their basic rights.

"I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.
(Victor, 11. November 2007 01:17) "

Give an example Victor. Are you insinuating anti-Serb Government of Canada employees?

Correction: way to disengage..not war to disengage...

Michael,

You are so right about everything.

Victor,

I could refrase it, I really don't mind to refrase it. But that wont help those children. The thing is that I know nothing about wars, about army in general. I am just a woman and have compassion. If we do not agree on the daily political basis it does not make me a monster without any compassion. Be sure that I am very sensitive when it comes to children and women issues, especially when this kind of things happen. I never said that and supported the events that took place in the past. I am sure that everything could be solved by negotiations if we were, both sides had more patience. But it happened and nothing can be changed any more. How ever this Kosovo problem ends I will stand with my people because I love my people and my country as you feel the same for yours. All I am saying is that we may not agree on anything but it does not mean that I feel animosity towards your people and that I am happy when tragedy like this happen.

« I am just a woman and have compassion.»

I am a man and I also have compassion for persons, no matter if they are white or black; men, women or children; young or old.

As a psycho-educator, I have worked with men, women, and children from Bosnia and Kosovo, and what I have heard from them stopped me from sleeping, and even years after, I have to deal with my emotions and my thoughts.

I am sure that you are a good person, and that there are many like you, the problem is not there; the problem is with persons like Ratko, Ida, who present the Serbs as victims, disregarding completely what happened to Croats, Muslims and Albanians from Kosovo. Their lack of compassion does not help your cause, and often aggravates the thoughts I have of ordinary Serbs.

However, I am glad to have know here Serbs like Matthew, Michael, Alan, yourself. You should remind them more often that you don't share their thoughts and their attitude.

IT WOULD HELP TO CHANGE the negative image we have of you all.

"As a psycho-educator"

You probably believed a lot of embellished tales by those who've know how to lie to get people on their side. You never mentioned any physical signs of torture. You never mentioned working with the Serbs who were tortured and traumatized by the 10s of thousands - but maybe that's because they are stuck for YEARS in overcrowded refugee camps and not given airlifts to countries which give them aid, benefits, housing, and pseudo-psycho talks. You believe in emotionalizm over reason, rationalism and true understanding of the facts - I suppose that's why you got in that 'business'.

"In Bosnia, NATO and the UN took the responsibility to remove landmines using local labour."

one of the things i did when i was in bosnia in the late 90s was on a mine awareness program that was running since the end of war. i don't know if things changed since, but back then mine disposal experts were imported so to speak. that was a major issue, that local military etc. personnel couldn't handle mine clearing, or all of it, and it was therefore expensive and slow.
i wonder if there is any kind of mine awareness campaign in kosovo?

People, mostly children, still die every week in Vietnam from mines and unexploded ordinance left over by the US since it was defeated there 32 years ago. 85,000 Vietnamese have been killed since the end of the war by this garbage the US graciously left behind. The US only began to help with deminng a few years ago on a skeleton budget, with which it would take about 200 years to clear their mess.

Shame on any of you trying to score points at a time like this. All sides need maximum cooperation to remove this garbage from every part of the country. Hopefully both Serbia and future independent Kosova will vote for UN resolutins banning mines and other equipment, such as cluster bombs, clearly targeted at civilians.

Ida,

Is there a reason why I should answer?

I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.

"I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.
(Victor, 11. November 2007 01:17) "

"Give an example Victor. Are you insinuating anti-Serb Government of Canada employees?
(A3G8KVF, 11. November 2007 03:02)"


Are you two referring to that anti-Serb Greek Canadian Government of Canada employee?

«Why KFOR did not ask information on mine fields from Serbian Army?»

How come the Serbian Army, seven years after the war, has not given this information on the location on mine fields?

That is the only logical way to phrase your sentence, my friend!

"How come the Serbian Army, seven years after the war, has not given this information on the location on mine fields?"

Well victor I guess i will asnwer this one for you. It is because our province is being occupied by nato and albanians.

Your Tzar Lazar holy warriors put those mines --- back in the day they were called "Serbian Army."

B92 how are RATKO's messages making it through?
Racism is insultin.

Ida, I don't believe a word you write. And tell your friend Ratko to think twice before he answers.

During the same time, Albanian children are at risk keeping flocks in the fields.

The Serbian army gave over all its documented and marked mine fields when NATO entered Serbia.

However, the KLA didn't keep documentation on all the mines it planted - and it was notorious in planting mines to blow up Serbian police vehicles and police.

More likely the unfound ones were planted by the KLA.

« I am just a woman and have compassion.»

I am a man and I also have compassion for persons, no matter if they are white or black; men, women or children; young or old.

As a psycho-educator, I have worked with men, women, and children from Bosnia and Kosovo, and what I have heard from them stopped me from sleeping, and even years after, I have to deal with my emotions and my thoughts.

I am sure that you are a good person, and that there are many like you, the problem is not there; the problem is with persons like Ratko, Ida, who present the Serbs as victims, disregarding completely what happened to Croats, Muslims and Albanians from Kosovo. Their lack of compassion does not help your cause, and often aggravates the thoughts I have of ordinary Serbs.

However, I am glad to have know here Serbs like Matthew, Michael, Alan, yourself. You should remind them more often that you don't share their thoughts and their attitude.

IT WOULD HELP TO CHANGE the negative image we have of you all.

«Then give money for demining or go to Kosovo and find them yourself.»


Why should I pay for the mistakes of your nation?

As a Canadian, why should I do your work? You should be the first one to go there to repair what your people have done and continue to do to innocent people?

People, mostly children, still die every week in Vietnam from mines and unexploded ordinance left over by the US since it was defeated there 32 years ago. 85,000 Vietnamese have been killed since the end of the war by this garbage the US graciously left behind. The US only began to help with deminng a few years ago on a skeleton budget, with which it would take about 200 years to clear their mess.

Shame on any of you trying to score points at a time like this. All sides need maximum cooperation to remove this garbage from every part of the country. Hopefully both Serbia and future independent Kosova will vote for UN resolutins banning mines and other equipment, such as cluster bombs, clearly targeted at civilians.

Well victor I guess i will asnwer this one for you. It is because our province is being occupied by nato and albanians.
(Ratko, 9. November 2007 20:25)
Now you just showed your true face Ratko. For you 2 milion Albanians means nothing, right , as far as you are concerend Albanians are not human beings. Shame on you.
ida always put the blame on KLA, what happened to Serbian police,army, paramilitaries and foreighn mercenaries, such as greeks, russians etc...? which murdered civilians without prejudice. Shame on you.

« WE ARE ALL GUILTY in this disaster.»

I do not agree, and most historians will also disagree with you. History will teach that Milosevic refused to negociate, even to discuss with other parties, for the simple reason that he had his own agenda: WAR. No negociations could remove non-Serbs from territories highly-coveted by the Serbs to create Greater Serbia.

I would aven add that as a Serb, you don't have to feel guilty for Milosevic's decision to send 60 000 troops in Kosovo to massacre the population and expulse them from their land.

The only thing the Albanians wanted is a bit of freedom, a bit of autonomy, in managing their own affairs. And Milosevic denied them all basic rights, and the Albanians rose against the dictator and I say that they were right in doing so..

Simply said, the Albanians did not start the war; they simply rose against a dictator, asking for the respect of their basic rights.

Ida,

Is there a reason why I should answer?

I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.

I am so sorry for these kids. I hope everything will be all right with them. And for God's sake whay the mines are not removed? Why KFOR did not ask information on mine fields from Serbian Army? Who knows how many mine fields are there

This is sad news.

A professional army documents the whereabouts of all their land minds.

Access to the documents by legal authorities should be permitted if it is not used as a border division. It is always sad to read land mines harming children.

"...children were guarding their family's sheep herd Thursday when the blast occurred ..."
A all too familiar story. Lets send pictures and stories of every tragic casuality of landmines, to the weapon manufacturers board and directors.
Even they must have some compassion(?)

I think we all agree it's terrible these children were injured.

Hopefully the Serbian army will forward any information but perhaps some mines were shifted in land slides. And some of the 'unexploded ordinance' is from NATO bombing.

France is still finding unexploded hombs from WW1.

let's be human beings here first and wish the kids to get well asap.
then and only then let's debate bloody war and politics of war and what not.

Victor,

As much as your blindness is concerned, the VJ (army) GAVE NATO the information it needed for safe entrance after the Kumanovo agreement..

You seem to have forgotten, that although war is ugly, the two army organizations had chordial and professional input for de-mining, and safe movement, entrance and exit...

You really need to dig into the archives, and look closely at what happened militarily...
Just to prove my point Victor, do you remember huge reports of mass devastation after the first Gulf war?? America's might was shown for all the world top see..
Why wasn't that information tabloided when NATO safely walked into Kosovo??
Did you not think it was ironic??

My point being....who knows where those leftovers mines have come from?
But i doubt that it was held back from the Serbian Army command.

As far as the children are concerned, it's very sad....

So Victor, put yourself in the children's skin..
At this point, I'm sure they don't care WHERE the mines came from right now....

Very well said, pt and ida.

In Bosnia, NATO and the UN took the responsibility to remove landmines using local labour.

Gentlemanly "ahem" towards NATO pencil pushers in Belgium.

Very sad. Mines kill long after wars are over.

Mine maps should have been hander over long ago.

That said, it's only now that the US is providing information of where they dropped their mines/bomblets

"...During the same time, Albanian children are at risk keeping flocks in the fields."

Then give money for demining or go to Kosovo and find them yourself.

"In Bosnia, NATO and the UN took the responsibility to remove landmines using local labour."

one of the things i did when i was in bosnia in the late 90s was on a mine awareness program that was running since the end of war. i don't know if things changed since, but back then mine disposal experts were imported so to speak. that was a major issue, that local military etc. personnel couldn't handle mine clearing, or all of it, and it was therefore expensive and slow.
i wonder if there is any kind of mine awareness campaign in kosovo?

How pathetic, Albanians blaming Serbs and Serbs blaming Albanians for a mine which blew up CHILDREN. Do you think Afghans ask questions when their families are blown to pieces? It's a good guess that it's left over from 30 years of warfare, left over by who knows. I suspect they didn't leave a forwarding address, as is the case in Kosovo.

From what I understand, there was a war fought in Kosovo between Serbs and Albanians, and people killed, murdered, burned, raped, tortured, disgraced themselves and their neighbors. They disgraced humanity, both Serbs and Albanians. Don't you all get that, are you all that stupid and not realize that we as Albanians and Serbs started this war TOGETHER? I am a proud Serb, who is disgusted with the with the state of affairs. These children, whether Serbian or Albanian are now suffering because their parents couldn't find a way to disagree without picking up arms and destroying each other's communities to ashes. Both communities need to take a step back, stop this absolutism that one community is superior than the other. WE ARE ALL GUILTY in this disaster, but all children of innocent. 59 children died in Afghanistan yesterday...tell me what they did to deserve such as tragic end? Is that what Serbians and Albanians wish for their future generations?

Unless we find a war to disengage from destroying one another, to live in peace and with respect, I fear many more mothers and fathers will be shedding tears as this insanity continues. My heart goes out to all the children, SERBIAN and ALBANIAN who suffer under the teaching of their parents. Shame on you all!

Correction: way to disengage..not war to disengage...

I feel really sorry for the children that were hurt in the land mine blast and I sincerely wish the children a quick and full recovery.
These are children and ethnicity does not come into mind.
As for the land mines, the big question is, was it a
KLA land mine,
NATO land mine, OR
Serb land mine OR
Other.
I think it is so overdue, to continue to "blame" instead of "begin to cure" the CANCER within Kosovo.

To Victor -

It's quite difficult to hold Serbia accountable for an undeclared war.

Furthermore, if you look at the whole picture - where is the documentation on the land mines that were left behind by NATO?

The only ones that should be held accountable for this atrocity is UNMIK as they are the ones that have made headlines on being the ultimate peacekeepers in Serbian KosovO!

Michael,

You are so right about everything.

Victor,

I could refrase it, I really don't mind to refrase it. But that wont help those children. The thing is that I know nothing about wars, about army in general. I am just a woman and have compassion. If we do not agree on the daily political basis it does not make me a monster without any compassion. Be sure that I am very sensitive when it comes to children and women issues, especially when this kind of things happen. I never said that and supported the events that took place in the past. I am sure that everything could be solved by negotiations if we were, both sides had more patience. But it happened and nothing can be changed any more. How ever this Kosovo problem ends I will stand with my people because I love my people and my country as you feel the same for yours. All I am saying is that we may not agree on anything but it does not mean that I feel animosity towards your people and that I am happy when tragedy like this happen.

Victor says,
IT WOULD HELP TO CHANGE the negative image we have of you all.

I have little regard for your dangerous concept of collective guilt.
No one on this forum, regardless of their opinions, should feel guilty because of what you say.
Your rantings and ever-changing opinions have little value and produce nothing positive.

"As a psycho-educator"

You probably believed a lot of embellished tales by those who've know how to lie to get people on their side. You never mentioned any physical signs of torture. You never mentioned working with the Serbs who were tortured and traumatized by the 10s of thousands - but maybe that's because they are stuck for YEARS in overcrowded refugee camps and not given airlifts to countries which give them aid, benefits, housing, and pseudo-psycho talks. You believe in emotionalizm over reason, rationalism and true understanding of the facts - I suppose that's why you got in that 'business'.

"I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.
(Victor, 11. November 2007 01:17) "

Give an example Victor. Are you insinuating anti-Serb Government of Canada employees?

"I have never worked with Serbs, adults and children, because I don't think that your people were authorized to immigrate to Canada during the conflict.
(Victor, 11. November 2007 01:17) "

"Give an example Victor. Are you insinuating anti-Serb Government of Canada employees?
(A3G8KVF, 11. November 2007 03:02)"


Are you two referring to that anti-Serb Greek Canadian Government of Canada employee?