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"Between the arrival of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in June 1999 and the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, more than 140 holy sites were destroyed, about half of the historica

"Between the arrival of the Kosovo Force (KFOR) in June 1999 and the 2004 unrest in Kosovo, more than 140 holy sites were destroyed, about half of the historical ones from the 14th and 15th centuries" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_Serbian_heritage_in_Kosovo https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Destruction_of_Serbian_herit... Among other things, this is just what's findable in 40 seconds on Wikipedia.

leereeves 3y ago
The claim above was that Kfor merely watches it happen - does your link support that claim? It doesn't seem to. In fact, that source says "Due to vandalization, the need arose for the armed force of the UN to protect locations containing Serbian religious heritage in Kosovo."
- dccoolgai 3y ago
  Another 20 seconds using Google yields from HRW: "In others areas, local KFOR units have been unable or unwilling to intervene to prevent displacement or destruction of property" https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosov2/ https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosov2/
  - leereeves 3y ago
    Even that source, while critical of the work of Kfor, acknowledges that "In some areas, such as Gorazdevac, Podujevo, and Kosovo Polje, KFOR is providing direct protection to at-risk Serb and Roma populations." And I don't see where it supports your claim that "There are multiple accounts of NATO forces standing a few feet away and watching as Albanians burn and loot Serbian Orthodox churches and villages." But thank you for that link. It seems to offer a balanced assessment of the situation.
    - dccoolgai 3y ago
      I'm up to like a whole two minutes now. I'm done after this, but here's some more pretty direct quotes: "French KFOR troops refused to come to the assistance of the Serb residents of Svinjare, even though their main base is located just a few hundred meters from that village. The entire village of Svinjare—all 137 homes—were burned to the ground within viewing distance of the main French KFOR base." "In the large town of Kosovo Polje, only a few UNMIK police and no KFOR personnel came to the assistance of the besieged Serbs, leaving a handful of local KPS officers to protect more than one hundred Serb families scattered around the city. One Serb was beaten to death, and at least one hundred Serb homes were burned, as was the main post office, the Serbian school, and the Serbian hospital." link: https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/6.htm https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/6.htm It goes on and on and on. For anyone who knows much about the region, this is pretty close to "common knowledge". But you won't hear much about it in the Western Media - which circles back up to my original point that "Maybe the Western media has been telling us the easy/policy-confirming story instead of the real but messy one".

leereeves 3y ago

The claim above was that Kfor merely watches it happen - does your link support that claim? It doesn't seem to. In fact, that source says "Due to vandalization, the need arose for the armed force of the UN to protect locations containing Serbian religious heritage in Kosovo."

dccoolgai 3y ago
Another 20 seconds using Google yields from HRW: "In others areas, local KFOR units have been unable or unwilling to intervene to prevent displacement or destruction of property" https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosov2/ https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosov2/
- leereeves 3y ago
  Even that source, while critical of the work of Kfor, acknowledges that "In some areas, such as Gorazdevac, Podujevo, and Kosovo Polje, KFOR is providing direct protection to at-risk Serb and Roma populations." And I don't see where it supports your claim that "There are multiple accounts of NATO forces standing a few feet away and watching as Albanians burn and loot Serbian Orthodox churches and villages." But thank you for that link. It seems to offer a balanced assessment of the situation.
  - dccoolgai 3y ago
    I'm up to like a whole two minutes now. I'm done after this, but here's some more pretty direct quotes: "French KFOR troops refused to come to the assistance of the Serb residents of Svinjare, even though their main base is located just a few hundred meters from that village. The entire village of Svinjare—all 137 homes—were burned to the ground within viewing distance of the main French KFOR base." "In the large town of Kosovo Polje, only a few UNMIK police and no KFOR personnel came to the assistance of the besieged Serbs, leaving a handful of local KPS officers to protect more than one hundred Serb families scattered around the city. One Serb was beaten to death, and at least one hundred Serb homes were burned, as was the main post office, the Serbian school, and the Serbian hospital." link: https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/6.htm https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/kosovo0704/6.htm It goes on and on and on. For anyone who knows much about the region, this is pretty close to "common knowledge". But you won't hear much about it in the Western Media - which circles back up to my original point that "Maybe the Western media has been telling us the easy/policy-confirming story instead of the real but messy one".