Kosovo's day of defiance

AN air of defiance marked Kosovo's independence celebrations as thousands of people joined a march in support of former fighters who are facing trial at a Netherlands-based court for alleged war crimes during a separatist war from Serbia in 1998-1999.

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Protesters, many wrapped in red and black Albanian flags, braved cold and snowy weather in the capital, Pristina, to voice their opposition to the proceedings in The Hague against former president and rebel leader Hashim Thaci and three others accused of atrocities during and after the conflict that killed some 13,000 people.

Earlier yesterday, Kosovo's security forces paraded in Pristina as part of the independence ceremonies, and parliament held a special session.

The war started in 1998 when the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army launched its struggle for independence and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown.