03 May 1999

REFUGEE FLOW FROM KOSOVO CONTINUES, RELIEF GROUPS BRACE FOR MORE

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
USIA Security Affairs Writer
 
Washington -- Defense Department spokesman Ken Bacon says the number of Kosovo Albanian refugees steaming into Albania has increased in the past 24 hours with international relief organizations counting some 3,100 people on May 2-3.

 Based on reports from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other groups, Bacon said May 3 that there may be "as many as 100,000 Kosovars coming into Albania in the next week or 10 days." He said there are two factors driving the latest exodus: continuing evidence of forced expulsions driven by Yugoslav special police and Army forces, and departures "because they are hungry."

 Air Force Major General Charles Wald, who briefed reporters at the Pentagon with Bacon, said Kosovo Albanians are being pushed out of Kosovo, at the rate of 500 to 1,000 per hour. From a military vantage point, he said he believes that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia President Slobodan Milosevic's policy on Kosovo reflects "a total disregard for humanity." Bacon noted that the alliance really cannot employ air power "to stop this type of depopulation."

 Bacon also announced that another 120 Air Force reservists have been called up to supplement NATO's "Operation Allied Force." This brings the total number of American reservists now called up to 2,236.

 Wald, who is vice director of Strategic Plans and Policy for the Joint Staff, said the number of sorties (strike and support) being flown in support of the allied air campaign continues to be about 600 per day, depending on the weather, which has recently improved.

 Bacon was questioned closely about why the electrical power grid was struck on the 40th day of NATO operations and not earlier on in the air campaign. While saying that particular target was struck "at the appropriate time," he also acknowledged that alliance leaders decided to expand the set of targets to be pursued during the April 23-25 NATO Summit.

 Both Bacon and Wald refused to discuss the type of weapon which was used against the power grid causing outages for as much as seven hours. Belgrade engineers described the weapon as a "soft bomb" (graphite) that exploded high above the plant forcing circuits to trip without causing physical damage. The spokesman would only say that "it is highly classified and...not a weapon we choose to discuss publicly."

 Despite the short duration of electrical interruption, Bacon said, from a military standpoint, its effectiveness can be measured in terms of disruption of the Yugoslav command and control system, diversion of petroleum that would otherwise be used to supply power generators during temporary outages, and confusion caused when key computers are turned off quickly during a forced shutdown of electricity.

 Any weapon which has the effect of degrading the Yugoslav command and control infrastructure, in any way over any period of time, "is beneficial to us militarily," Wald said. He also noted that the Yugoslav integrated air defense requires electrical power to operate.

 Inconveniences such as power outages will occur as the alliance intensifies its air campaign, Bacon warned. The way to halt such inconveniences, the spokesman said, "is to meet NATO's demands for a settlement," adding, "we will be adding new targets as the campaign continues."

 Asked about potential health risks posed by the use of depleted uranium (DU), Wald noted that DU is used in the bullets that are hand-loaded into U.S. A-10 aircraft being used as part of "Operation Allied Force." During his long career as a pilot, Wald said he has watched munitions handlers work with this ammunition for 20 years without problems. The aviator also said scientific studies have not unearthed any associated health problems.

 Bacon was also asked if President Clinton has signed an order to authorize the use of the AH-64 Apache helicopters now located in Albania as part of Task Force Hawk. The spokesman turned aside the question saying he would not "telegraph" when the anti-tank helicopters might be employed as part of the allied air campaign.

 On the subject of NATO's planned, but not yet approved, "search-and-visit" regime of ships thought to be carrying embargoed oil, Bacon said the alliance is still working on the details. A proposal had been sent to the North Atlantic Council (NAC) for consideration, but the NAC sent it back to alliance military authorities for further refinement, he said. The European Union oil embargo took effect on April 30 with some 30 nations embracing it. At the same time, the United States also passed regulations to prevent the export of most goods into Montenegro.

 Meanwhile, Bacon said the three freed American prisoners of war (POWs) who are in Germany now are still being interviewed about their capture while patrolling the border between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Kosovo. The spokesman said all indications from the ongoing military debriefings are that the three Americans were "illegally detained" while in the FYROM.

 Asked about the status of a Yugoslav POW being held in Germany, Bacon said the soldier is "in good condition" and will be visited by a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on May 5. Regarding his future freedom, the spokesman said the Yugoslav enlisted man will be released at an appropriate time.