To begin with: Everything on this webpage is my personal opinion, and no official statement whatsoever!

SFOR stands for Stabilization FORce. The UN were present in Bosnia for some time before NATO came in, but they did not have the same degree of success, failing to be able to protect the muslims. The had rules of engagement (ROG) that were too soft for the local forces. After the Danes executed "Operasjon Bøllebank" (Operation Bully-beating) and the US took another approach and bombed the serbs to the negotiations, and the Dayton agreement was signed, the NATO forces moved in: New supply routines, and a totally different ROG! UN became IFOR and the white and blue was replaced with camouflage! The ROG has proved successful, and Norway has been there since!

 NORWEGIANS IN BOSNIA

Norwegians is reasonably respected by all ethnic groups. We were on the same side as the serbs during World War 2, and some serbs in German concentration camps in Norway was given food by local Norwegians, risking their lives, I guess. We've had reasonably few casualties compared to some of our partners -owing some to luck and a lot to mine awareness training.

Actually not all Bosnians call it Bosnia. The Bosnian serbs like to call "their" part of the country "Republika Srbska" and the Croatian used to call their part "Herzeg Bosna".

I liked it in Bosnia -I was in the Serb republic. You learn a lot, and get to say "hey -it was nothing like that" to all the people that believed all they saw on TV! I've heard a lot of stuff "from the horse's mouth" and then seen it on TV -do not believe everything the media tells you!

NORWEGIANS IN KOSOVO

Norway was there since the international forces moved in and I believe there are some there even now, but is is my understanding that UNMIK (UN police) runs the show now.

I was there a year after the internesion and had a good time there. Got the opportunity to see a lot and travel a lot in this region. We had only one Norwegian casualty while I was there -I don't think I ever met him, but I served with his buddy the following tour and he tells me that he was a great guy.

LAND MINES

A major risk in Bosnia and Kosovo are land mines, millions of them distributed throughout the country! All kinds of sadistic types. I am still not for a ban of all mines, though, since I believe that mines can be used defensively -like claymores as a perimeter defense in a well marked area and possibly between barbed wire fences! But I am for a ban on air-distributed mines like the butterfly-mine, made in different shapes and colors, often made to cripple children. Ban this first!

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