Amico and his buddies are part of KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping force sent to protect Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians from the security forces of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic. Their current mission: to help seal the porous border area and prevent armed guerrillas from using the Kosovo side as a staging base for insurgencies into Macedonia, where a growing rebellion is threatening to plunge the region into another war.
A month ago KFOR troops barely paid any notice to the quiet mountain village of Debelde. But when clashes erupted between Albanian guerrillas and Macedonian forces in February, members of the 82nd Airborne were sent in to close down the pocket. “Our mandate, and that of all peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, is to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone living here. Whatever the reasons behind violence it simply can not be tolerated,” says Capt. Marcus Evans of U.S. efforts to help the Macedonians push National Liberation Army (NLA) fighters out of the area. This joint attempt failed when rebel groups simply moved to other villages inside Macedonia.
The NLA is an offshoot of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Its initials in Albanian, UCK, are the same as those of the KLA, and they share similar uniforms, flags and shoulder patches. The group, which battled Yugoslav forces here, is now fighting to win equal rights for the ethnic Albanians who make up at least 30 percent of Macedonia’s mostly Slavic population.
“For 10 years the politicians have had their chance to solve the problems. They have failed,” says the NLA fighter known as Commander Hoxha from the village of Malina Mala, some three miles from Debelde.
While Macedonian security forces pound rebel positions along the border area, KFOR has promised increased control of its side of the border. The beefed-up presence will be an international effort, but for now it’s the members of the third platoon, Charlie Company, 1st battalion of the 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment who are assigned with monitoring this mountainous territory.
Most of the American soldiers stationed along the tense border area find Kosovo a welcoming place. “The people are remarkably friendly and open,” says commanding officer Second Lt. David Hodges of Gainsville, Fla. “They are always inviting us in for coffee.”
A career soldier who has spent more than 12 years in the Army, Hodges has served in the Persian Gulf, Haiti, and the Sinai Peninsula. So far, he says, Kosovo has been “a nice change.”
Driving up and down the muddy winding roads in and around Debelde in an all-terrain SUS-V, Hodges waves to small children playing in the fields. “My favorite part is the chickens in the road!” he shouts over the engine’s roar slamming on the brakes and sending the passengers flying in four different directions. “Not much like Florida is it?”
So far, the GIs’ most dangerous encounter in the last three months has been a growling stray dog. Pfc. Gregory Armstrong, of Gary, Ind., confronted the potential attacker by whipping out his standard-issue pepper spray–and firing into his own face accidentally. It took more than a half hour–and many pints of water–before he could see again.
The incident earned him a new nickname and a degree of notoriety among his fellow soldiers. “Tell ‘Pepper’ we’re gonna make him famous,” Hodges smiles into his radio. Down at the guardhouse, where soldiers check those coming and going from the village, Pepper steps outside and points a finger to his head before flashing a sarcastic salute at his commander.
In spite of the joking, American soldiers here know life could become much tougher for them if the almost 2 million Albanians in Kosovo lose their trust in NATO. “My father is very proud, but mom is a little worried,” says Amico, whose father is a retired major. Amico tries to speak with his parents every two or three weeks by telephone, but relies primarily on e-mail as a means of communication. “I can’t tell them very much of what is going on here, so they have to rely mostly on the regular news services.”
Right now, that news isn’t good. Members of the NLA have seized control of at least nine villages in Macedonia, prompting the government to deploy army and antiterrorist units against them. Many NLA fighters are Kosovo veterans, and much of their logistical support is coming from inside this province.
With Albanians here sympathetic to the plight of their brethren in Macedonia, they are not likely to look kindly on KFOR efforts to shut down guerrilla operations. “We are all one people, despite the borders,” explains NLA Commander Hoxha.
Against this backdrop, American GIs say they are prepared for the worst. “None of us want to be in the position of fighting these people,” says Amico. “But if it comes to it, we have the training and the weapons to defend ourselves.”
