P 221649Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY PRISTINA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8694
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
USNIC PRISTINA SR PRIORITY
NCTC WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS PRISTINA 000633 
 
 
DEPT FOR EUR, EUR/SCE, NCTC, S/CT PLEASE PASS TO RSHORE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC PGOV KJUS KCRM KV
SUBJECT: (KOSOVO): 2008 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 120019 
 
 
¶1. (U) Following is the submission from U.S. Embassy in Pristina for 
Kosovo's 2008 Counterterrorism Report. 
 
¶2. (U) The UN Interim Administrative Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) 
administered Kosovo under the authority of UN Security Council 
(UNSC) Resolution 1244 of 1999 until June 15, when Kosovo's 
constitution came into effect.  With the promulgation of the Kosovo 
constitution in June 2008, the Kosovo Government assumed growing 
responsibility for the country's civil administration and law 
enforcement, including combating terrorism.  The European Union's 
Rule-of-Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) started operating on December 
9 and replaced UNMIK Police throughout the country, and EULEX 
provides advice and mentoring to Kosovo rule-of-law institutions. 
 
¶3. (U) The Kosovo Government and UNMIK continued to monitor 
suspected terrorist activity throughout the year.  The Ministry of 
Internal Affairs (MoIA) suspected that a few of the more than 1,000 
NGOs operating in Kosovo were involved in suspicious activities and 
sought to prevent extremists from using NGOs to gain a foothold in 
Kosovo.  Some NGOs used public facilities for religious gatherings, 
but Kosovo authorities and municipalities attempted to prevent 
misuse of facilities for events that had no consent from the 
relevant religious community. 
 
¶4. (U) The Kosovo Police (KP) and UNMIK Police Counterterrorism 
Units (CTUs) were primarily responsible for Kosovo's 
counterterrorism efforts but remained small and lacked resources. 
In December the UNMIK CTU transferred its responsibilities to EULEX. 
 Prior to that, the UNMIK Police CTU monitored, mentored, and 
advised their KP CTU counterparts.  While UNMIK possessed executive 
authority over the KP, in practice it was not exercised.  The KP and 
UNMIK received information and analysis support from the UNMIK 
Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) and the KP CTU's intelligence, 
surveillance, and investigations units.  The KP CTU, currently 
manned at half its intended strength, continues to focus on building 
up its unit, training and equipping its officers, and collecting 
information on potential terrorist threats. 
 
¶5. (U) Porous boundaries that were easily crossed by individuals 
trafficking in people, weapons, and narcotics hampered Kosovo's 
counterterrorism efforts.  The Kosovo Border Police patrol all 
border crossing points except Gates 1 and 31 in northern Kosovo, 
which were staffed by UNMIK and the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) 
until December 9, when EULEX replaced UNMIK Police and assumed 
control of the two border points.  KFOR continues to maintain a 
presence at the gates. The Border Police and KFOR jointly patrol the 
entire "Green Border" perimeter, the area where there are no 
official manned borders or border gates.  This patrolling along the 
"Green Border" extends up to the actual border, but traffickers take 
advantage of numerous roads and trails leading into Kosovo that lack 
border controls.  Poorly paid border and customs officials were 
susceptible to corruption. 
 
¶6. (U) The KP reported that witness intimidation was not an obstacle 
to combating terrorism in Kosovo in 2008.  UNMIK's Department of 
Justice continued its Witness Protection Task Force to ensure that 
witness intimidation did not resurface as a problem in other areas. 
In 2008, the Task Force completed constructing its safe house, 
encouraged the use of video conferencing equipment in Kosovo's 
district courts, and increased its efforts to secure relocation 
agreements with other jurisdictions. 
 
¶7. (U) One high profile incident of suspected terrorism occurred 
during the year.  On November 14, an explosive device detonated in 
front of the headquarters of the International Civilian Organization 
(ICO), the institution charged with supervising Kosovo's 
independence.  There were no injuries in the attack.  Kosovo Police 
continued to investigate the incident at year's end.  There was one 
unverified claim of responsibility from a previously unknown group, 
but Kosovo authorities had insufficient evidence to bring charges 
against any perpetrators. 
 
¶8. (U) The UNMIK Department of Justice (DOJ) conducted additional 
terrorism investigations independent of Kosovo authorities.  During 
the year, UNMIK DOJ obtained two terrorism-related convictions. 
International prosecutors and the Kosovo Special Prosecutor's Office 
(KSPO) also initiated four terrorism-related investigations: three 
of them by the KSPO, and one by an international prosecutor.  One 
trial, handled by the KSPO before a panel of local judges, is 
ongoing, while two cases handled by International Prosecutors are 
pending trial.  UNMIK DOJ made no indictments in terrorism cases 
during this period. 
 
¶9. (U) The Albanian National Army (AKSH), which UNMIK designated as 
a terrorist organization in 2003, continued to intimidate Kosovo 
citizens.  On January 26, three men were arrested for shooting at a 
KP police officer in Pristina.  After their arrest, the three 
claimed AKSH membership, as did a fourth, who was arrested on April 
¶25.  In a separate incident on September 17, in the town of 
Vushtrri/Vucitrn, a bus carrying workers enroute to work at the KEK 
Power Plant were stopped at a "checkpoint" manned by 12 to 13 men 
wearing AKSH insignia and carrying weapons.  The men examined the 
identification of all present and then released the workers.  The 
case continues under investigation, but the KP has not made any 
arrests. 
 
¶10. (U) Embassy POC is Liam O'Flanagan.  Telephone: 
00(381)-38-5959-3110.  Email: O'FlanaganLJ@state.gov. 
 
 
YAZDGERDI