Page 112 - The CNN Effect in Action - How the News Media Pushed the West toward War ini Kosovo

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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
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death of another policeman.
After these incidents, a buildup by
Yugoslav forces began around Stimlje, a town about half a kilometer
from Racak, a village with a KLA base that was about to face a heavy-
34
By January 1999, Racak, which had a pre-
handed Serb retaliation.
conflict population of 2,000, was down to around 400. This was
largely because the village had already been shelled the previous sum-
mer by a government offensive that had destroyed some houses and
35
driven most of the population to surrounding towns. At 6:30 am on
January 15 the assault on Racak began when MUP forces exchanged
gunfire with KLA fighters on a hill outside the town, with VJ T-55
tanks and MUP armored vehicles positioned around the village
36
When hostilities broke out, some residents reportedly
perimeter.
escaped to Petrovo, a neighboring village under Yugoslav fire, while
KLA members escaped to positions on the surrounding hills. The KLA
resistance that morning lasted at least several hours. After this point,
37
The
the Yugoslav forces took Racak, staying until 4:30 pm that day.
details of what happened after they took the village that morning have
become a subject of much controversy. According to Kosovo Albanian
accounts and those of international human rights organizations, MUP
forces raided houses where civilians had taken refuge, and in one house
separated a group of 30 men, 23 of whom were led into the hillside
several hours later. At about 3:00 p.m., villagers reported hearing shots
from the hillside where 25 bodies would be found the next day. 38
According to Serbian accounts, all firing that day was the result of
continued fighting with KLA forces in the surrounding hills. On the
day of the attack, the Serbs argued that they had not hid their
intentions to conduct a military operation and even invited some
journalists and international monitors to watch from the surrounding
hills. Some Associated Press journalists and American monitors from
the OSCE mission were present as events unfolded throughout the
day, 39 although the monitors were intentionally kept at a distance
from the village and had a limited view. 40 The Serbs further argued
that they had even issued several reports before, during, and after the
offensive of the village, with updates on events. 41 Immediately after
the attack, they issued a press statement that claimed success in the
Racak operation, which included the killing of 15 KLA fighters and a
seizure of armaments. 42 From their account, the entire day involved
fighting with KLA units, with different degrees of intensity, until their
departure in the afternoon. All the dead that day were KLA fighters.
Although there was dispute surrounding the events of January 15,
what was clear was the outrage felt in the West when images of
Racak’s aftermath reached television screens the following day.