Milocevic's Albanian expulsion also accomplishes another, strategic purpose. By clogging roads and railways with thousands of civilians NATO is effectively prevented from using these corridors as invasion routes... an invasion Milosevic reasonably fears is inevitable.

Milocevic quite probably believes President Clinton's announcement that NATO is not planning to invade is a lie. By permitting heavy farm vehicles short on fuel to run dry on roads, blocking them, and by telling deportees walking inside raillines they must not walk outside of tracks because of landmines, Milosevic ensures these routes, for a period of valuable, pre-invasion preparation time, will not permit vehicle use by NATO convoys. Forcing a NATO invasion to use unconventional routes across highly vulnerable terrain, should the Allies decide to invade sooner than later, could force large numbers of NATO infantrymen to be tied down, and injured, by a handful of snipers. NATO casualties could be massive.

NATO Airborne drops would not be advisable as Milocevic has tactically preserved his anti-aircraft guns that could be used to spray tons of flak into descending paratroopers. Nor should NATO attempt to navigate troop loaded vehicles through civilians. By inserting Serbian sappers into crowds of departing refugees NATO invaders would be rendered highly susceptible to ambush. NATO forces would be prevented from returning fire for fear of killing civilians surrounding machinegunners or grenade-throwers using the civilians as shields.

No Allied invasion should be contemplated until and unless all roads leading into Kosovo are cleared and secured.

Phill Coleman
Vietnam Veteran, 1969-70
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