Aricles by Major Kristian Kahrs, Norwegian Army
while serving as press officer at the international KFOR HQ from January to July
2000
Cause of fire unknown
Pristina, 28 Feb 2000: The day after the destruction of the Sports Palace, the cause of the fire is still unknown.
Sports Hall Lost, But Fire Extinguished
Pristina, 01 March 2000: On Tuesday night, one hundred hours after the fire in the Pristina Sports Palace started, KFOR, U.N. and local Kosovar firefighters extinguished the fire that almost destroyed one of Pristina's finest shopping malls.
Soldiers are more than Guns ...
Raskova, 16 March 2000: The youngsters in the village of Raskovo just north of Pristina did not have anything to do in the evenings, and they were just walking the streets and hanging around. But Cpl. Morten Havdal of the Norwegian Telemark Battalion decided enough was enough. He decided to start a soccer club to get the guys busy.
Mining Industry - A Great Asset For Kosovo
Stari Trg Mine, 25 March 2000: The mines in the area around Mitrovica have a great potential for the future of Kosovo, and Saturday, KFOR was allowed to play a part in the reconstruction of the Stari Trg Mine just east of Mitrovica.
Old Enemies Together in Peaceful Competition
Camp D Koretica, 2 April 2000: A few years ago it would be impossible for the American Apache and the Russian Hind attack helicopter to be on the stage together. But now both the United States and Russia are parts of KFOR, and everything is possible.
Clean City for Building Morale
Mitrovica, 7 April 2000: On initiative from the commander of Multinational Brigade North, Gen. Pierre de Saqui de Sannes, the citizens of Mitrovica is in the process of cleaning the garbage off the streets. On April 5, 6 and over 1,000 school kids from both sides of the river Ibar joined in the voluntary communal work of cleaning the city.
Survived in the Woods for Seven Weeks
15 April 2000: The story of 22-year old Besim Kadriu is an amazing story of survival. One year ago on April 29, Kadriu's face was totally deformed by a Serb bullet. Without his nose and the right eye he survived in the woods outside Mitrovica for seven weeks without medical attention until KFOR French soldiers came to his rescue.
KFOR Takes Weapons Off The Streets
Pristina April 25, 2000: These weapons will never again be used for crime on the streets of Kosovo. What used to be well functioning weapons are now recycled scrap metal used to create metal profiles beneficial to the development of Kosovo.
Air Traffic to Pristina in All Weather Conditions
Pristina, 11 May 2000: Bad weather can no longer stop aircraft from landing at Pristina Airport. After the British government donated 13 million DM, the airport has a state of the art instrument landing system to enable planes to land in all weather conditions.
UNMIK Officer Clinched KFOR Competition
Pec, 12 May 2000: An UNMIK police officer from Lithuania was too fast for the KFOR soldiers competing in the 12K Far West Run in Multinational Brigade West when he clinched the competition clocking 46 minutes and 30 seconds on Friday.
NATO's Patience Wearing Thin May
Pristina May 31, 2000: In his fourth visit to Kosovo, NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson had a very strong warning on Wednesday to all Kosovars that the international community would not tolerate any kind of ethnic violence.
Teaching Kids to Stay Away
Germia/Grmja, July 6, 2000: Private Valtterui Vayrynen is normally a kindergarten teacher in Finland, and now he is using his pedagogic skills to teach children to stay away from landmines and unexploded cluster bombs.
Russians destroy Kalashnikovs
Pristina, 10 July 2000: The KFOR Russian contingent plays a very important role in removing illegal weapons from the streets of Kosovo, and on Friday, the chief of ammunition and armament in the Russian contingent watched Kalashnikovs, pistols and other heavy weapons go into the furnace.
From Pacific Blue to... ... OBILIC GREEN!
Obilic, July 10, 2000: Norwegians obviously watch too much television for their own good. Now they have even adopted the thrilling concept of the biking police heroes in the TV-series Pacific Blue! With an AG3 assault rifle on the back as only protection, they've started patrolling the devastated areas of Obilic riding a bike. And believe it or not: it's worth the effort!
Robertson Warns against Cantonization
Pristina, July 18, 2000: When NATO's Secretary General Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen visited Kosovo Tuesday, he gave a strong warning to Albanians and Serbs against cantonization, and he underlined KFOR's determination for a multi-ethnic Kosovo.
An Invisible Spy in the Night
Bravo Two-Zero, July 26, 2000: They don't know if something is watching them. All they can hear is an unidentified humming sound over their heads somewhere. The Phoenix bird has a full overview on all movement on the ground with its thermo sensitive camera.
The Monument,
20. Sept. 2000: "Those who are Serbian and have a Serbian heart and do not come to battle for Kosovo will not have children, neither male nor female, crops or wine. They will be damned until they die."