USA: NEW YORK: KOSOVO CRISIS: KLA RECRUITS SWORN IN

(12 Apr 1999) English/Nat The first U-S contingent of some 4-hundred new Kosovo Liberation Army (K-L-A) recruits have been sworn in at a ceremony in Yonkers, New York. The new soldiers, men and women between the ages of 18 and 50, are ethnic Albanians, mostly Kosovars, living in the United States. After saying farewell to family and friends, the soldiers are scheduled to leave by charter flight from New York to Tirana at some point in the next few days. Exact times were not revealed in order to ensure their safety. Few of the new soldiers have any real training and will likely be assisting refugees, translating, or participating in K-L-A training in Albania. A small apartment in the Yonkers area of New York is Agim Selmanaj's home - but not for much longer. On Sunday Agim, a 27-year-old who came here from Kosovo seven years ago, packed his bags and said goodbye to his brother and his family. He will shortly head back to Kosovo, this time as a member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (K-L-A). Agim will be joined by some 4-hundred other new K-L-A recruits, mostly ethnic Albanians from Kosovo who have been living in the United States since the 1980s. Agim's family is worried, but proud. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I am very proud of him, and also it's tough to send him there. Hopefully, he's coming back." SUPER CAPTION: Gezim Selmanaj, Agim's brother These new volunteers have heeded the call of the K-L-A to join the fight against the Serbian security forces in Kosovo. On Sunday, they stood in military formation in the car park of the Albanian-run Royal Regency Hotel in suburban New York. The K-L-A commanders reviewing the troops had strong words of encouragement, as well as hope that NATO will decide to back the KLA. The families were told to say their last goodbyes to the recruits at a swearing-in ceremony where soldiers and supporters alike listened to rousing speeches from commanders. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I congratulate you, and long live Kosovo, long live the Albanian people, long live the KLA." SUPER CAPTION: Shenasi Rama, Vice-Spokesman, Kosovo Government Some recruits have U-S military experience or, in the case of the older men, as soldiers in the Yugoslav army, but most are untrained. Their uniforms from Army-Navy surplus stores are brand new. A light rain began to fall as the military formation dissolved into tear-drenched hugs. Although Agim has no military background, he has plenty of reasons to join the K-L-A in Kosovo. SOUNDBITE: (English) "First of all, I'm going because it's my land. And you saw on TV what's going on over there, killing kids, womans, I'm going to protect them." SUPER CAPTION: Agim Selmanaj The recruits plan to join the Kosovo rebel force in a last-ditch effort to save hundreds of thousands of Albanians who have fled their decimated towns and villages. Most of those here in Yonkers had relatives in the war-torn province who are now either dead or missing. Although hundreds of Kosovar Albanians have joined the K-L-A from European countries like Germany and Switzerland, this is the first contingent to leave from the United States. Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/ab963cb9303718d…

• #news_politics
• #ap_archive
• #118097
• #ab963cb9303718dc94aa9de6322043fb
• #usa_new_york_kosovo_crisis_kla_recruits_sworn_in
• #kosovo
• #albania
• #new_york
• #united_states
• #white_plains
• #eastern_europe
• #government_and_politics