State Department once called new allies 'terrorists': Cohen: For KLA victory, but not for KLA

Appearing on CNN March 26, Sen. Pat Roberts (R.Kan.) said, "I wonder a little bit about aiding the Kosovars. The people that were sitting down during the peace talks, and some of the people we've been dealing with-I'm on the Intelligence Committee as well-and they do have a connection with Osama Bin Laden, and some of the drug cartel financing is involved in that. I don't think our position now is that we want independence for the Kosovars."

Last August, a Jane's publication said the CIA had traced support from Bin Laden's terrorist organization, Al Qa'ida, to Muslims fighting the Serbs in Kosovo. "Al Qa'ida supports Muslim fighters in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Tajikistan, Somalia, Yemen and now Kosovo," Jane's quoted from what it described as a CIA briefing paper. "Terrorism is a key component of Al Qa'ida's strategy, and Bin Laden cites Koranic references in an attempt to justify it."

A U.S. official familiar with U.S. intelligence assessments, who spoke with HumAN EvENTS on condition of anonymity, played down the possibility of Bin Laden's involvement with the UCK, but didn't definitively close out the possibility. "His organization is known to be supportive of a number of Islamic and Muslim groups. Support for the KLA couldn't be ruled out in some instances." The official, however, was not aware of any specific evidence of Bib Laden's involvement and said such a role was far from certain.

One indication of such involvement surfaced in August when the Fort Worth Star-Telegram obtained a communique sent from Bin Laden's camp to his followers. It was signed by Sheik Abdullah Abu al-Farouq. Followers were told to "make a Jihad holy war for the cause of God and against the enemies of Islam and Muslims, and do not direct your weapons to your brother Muslims." The document listed Kosovo as one of the many areas in which his forces were active.

Growing Number of Mujahideen

In November, the London Sunday Times reported that the growing number of foreign mujahideen turning up in Kosovo meant poor prospects for peace. "The Islamic fighters created havoc in the war in Bosnia, where they were regarded as a serious threat to Western peacekeeping troops, especially Americans," the Sunday Times reported.

"American intelligence," the Sunday Times said, "has raised the possibility of a link between Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi expatriate blamed for the bombing in August of U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, and the KLA. Several of Bin Laden's supporters were arrested in Tirana, the Albanian capital, and deported this summer, and the chaotic conditions in the country have allowed Muslim extremists to settle there, often under the guise of humanitarian workers."

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Apr 30, 1999
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