Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime hero turned politician, was arrested and transferred to the detention center of the Kosovo Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Thursday to face charges of war crimes.

Thaci had resigned with immediate effect earlier in the day after learning that the tribunal had confirmed a war crimes indictment against him.

Thaci and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) are accused of overseeing illegal detention facilities where the movement`s opponents were kept in inhumane conditions, tortured and sometimes killed.

Thaci has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He told a news conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina that he felt his resignation was necessary "to protect the integrity of the state".

Thaci arrived at Pristina's military airport in the afternoon and was flown to The Hague, where he was taken into custody by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers.

The move could bring political instability to Kosovo, a young democracy where the 52-year-old former guerrilla became the first prime minister in 2008 and was elected president in 2016.

Prosecutors in July said they hold Thaci responsible for nearly 100 murders of civilians during the 1998-99 war when he was a KLA commander who fought the Serbian police and army.

Thaci, a US-backed national hero, embarked on his political career after leading the KLA`s battle against forces under late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

Ties with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump deepened in September, when Kosovo and Serbia signed an economic relations deal at the White House.

The European Union on Thursday welcomed Thaci`s cooperation with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where he is expected to come before a pre-trial judge in coming days.

The tribunal was set up in 2015 to handle cases relating to the war that led to Kosovo`s independence from Serbia a decade later in 2008. The court is governed by Kosovo law but staffed by international judges and prosecutors.

Anger in Kosovo

Many in Kosovo oppose the war crimes court and see the KLA commanders as heroes.

"I think a big injustice is being committed here by putting on trial our liberators," economist Fejzullah Ibrahimi told Reuters at a market in Pristina.

NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 with U.S. support to halt the killings and expulsions of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo by Serb forces.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said the indictment against Thaci gave hope to thousands of victims of the war "who have waited for more than two decades to find out the truth about the horrific crimes."

In Belgrade, lawmaker Milovan Drecun who is chairman of the Serbian parliamentary committee for Kosovo said the indictment proved that "establishing the truth about war crimes of the KLA and punishing those responsible is an irreversible process."

In July, Thaci met the prosecutors in The Hague to discuss the allegations against him.

Another three Kosovo politicians and former KLA members - Rexhep Selimi, a deputy in the Kosovo parliament, Kadri Veseli, the president of Thaci`s Kosovo Democratic Party, and veteran Kosovo politician Jakup Krasniqi - were transferred to The Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Wednesday and Thursday, the tribunal said.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime hero turned politician, was arrested and transferred to the detention center of the Kosovo Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Thursday to face charges of war crimes.

Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, a wartime hero turned politician, was arrested and transferred to the detention center of the Kosovo Tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Thursday to face charges of war crimes. Thaci had resigned with immediate effect earlier in the day after learning that the tribunal had confirmed a war crimes indictment against him. Thaci and three other former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) are accused of overseeing illegal detention facilities where the movement`s opponents were kept in inhumane conditions, tortured and sometimes killed. Thaci has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He told a news conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina that he felt his resignation was necessary "to protect the integrity of the state". Thaci arrived at Pristina's military airport in the afternoon and was flown to The Hague, where he was taken into custody by the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. The move could bring political instability to Kosovo, a young democracy where the 52-year-old former guerrilla became the first prime minister in 2008 and was elected president in 2016. Prosecutors in July said they hold Thaci responsible for nearly 100 murders of civilians during the 1998-99 war when he was a KLA commander who fought the Serbian police and army. Thaci, a US-backed national hero, embarked on his political career after leading the KLA`s battle against forces under late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. Ties with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump deepened in September, when Kosovo and Serbia signed an economic relations deal at the White House. The European Union on Thursday welcomed Thaci`s cooperation with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, where he is expected to come before a pre-trial judge in coming days. The tribunal was set up in 2015 to handle cases relating to the war that led to Kosovo`s independence from Serbia a decade later in 2008. The court is governed by Kosovo law but staffed by international judges and prosecutors. Anger in Kosovo Many in Kosovo oppose the war crimes court and see the KLA commanders as heroes. "I think a big injustice is being committed here by putting on trial our liberators," economist Fejzullah Ibrahimi told Reuters at a market in Pristina. NATO bombed Belgrade in 1999 with U.S. support to halt the killings and expulsions of ethnic Albanians from Kosovo by Serb forces. Human rights watchdog Amnesty International said the indictment against Thaci gave hope to thousands of victims of the war "who have waited for more than two decades to find out the truth about the horrific crimes." In Belgrade, lawmaker Milovan Drecun who is chairman of the Serbian parliamentary committee for Kosovo said the indictment proved that "establishing the truth about war crimes of the KLA and punishing those responsible is an irreversible process." In July, Thaci met the prosecutors in The Hague to discuss the allegations against him. Another three Kosovo politicians and former KLA members - Rexhep Selimi, a deputy in the Kosovo parliament, Kadri Veseli, the president of Thaci`s Kosovo Democratic Party, and veteran Kosovo politician Jakup Krasniqi - were transferred to The Hague on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Wednesday and Thursday, the tribunal said.

Kosovo President Thaci arrested, moved to The Hague to face war crimes charges

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci resigned with immediate effect on Thursday after learning that the Kosovo war crimes tribunal had confirmed his indictment for war crimes.

It comes as a dramatic downfall for a politician who has dominated the former Serbian province for over a decade.

The 52-year-old said he would step down to appear before the court after it confirmed an indictment&nbsp;against him dating back to the 1990s conflict with Serbia, when Thaci was political chief of Kosovo's rebel army.&nbsp;

"I will not allow under any circumstances that I appear before court as the president of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, in order to protect the integrity of the office of the president and the country, as well as the dignity of the citizens, I resign from the position of president of the Republic of Kosovo," Thaci told a press conference in the capital Pristina.

He has long insisted on his innocence in a war that most people in Kosovo, which is home mainly to ethnic Albanians, consider a "just" struggle for their independence from Serbian oppression.&nbsp;

"These are not easy moments for me and my family, and for those who have supported and believed in me in the past three decades of our struggle for freedom, independence and nation-building," Thaci added.&nbsp;

In June, prosecutors accused him of ten counts of crimes including charges of murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture.

Thaci did not say which specific charges had been confirmed, while the prosecutors declined to comment.&nbsp;

Set up with EU-backing in 2015, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) operates under Kosovo law but is based in The Hague to protect witnesses from intimidation in a society where many former rebel commanders still dominate politics.

&nbsp;

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci resigned with immediate effect on Thursday after learning that the Kosovo war crimes tribunal had confirmed his indictment for war crimes.

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci resigned with immediate effect on Thursday after learning that the Kosovo war crimes tribunal had confirmed his indictment for war crimes. It comes as a dramatic downfall for a politician who has dominated the former Serbian province for over a decade. The 52-year-old said he would step down to appear before the court after it confirmed an indictment against him dating back to the 1990s conflict with Serbia, when Thaci was political chief of Kosovo's rebel army. "I will not allow under any circumstances that I appear before court as the president of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, in order to protect the integrity of the office of the president and the country, as well as the dignity of the citizens, I resign from the position of president of the Republic of Kosovo," Thaci told a press conference in the capital Pristina. He has long insisted on his innocence in a war that most people in Kosovo, which is home mainly to ethnic Albanians, consider a "just" struggle for their independence from Serbian oppression. "These are not easy moments for me and my family, and for those who have supported and believed in me in the past three decades of our struggle for freedom, independence and nation-building," Thaci added. In June, prosecutors accused him of ten counts of crimes including charges of murder, enforced disappearance of persons, persecution, and torture. Thaci did not say which specific charges had been confirmed, while the prosecutors declined to comment. Set up with EU-backing in 2015, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) operates under Kosovo law but is based in The Hague to protect witnesses from intimidation in a society where many former rebel commanders still dominate politics.

Kosovo President Thaci resigns after being indicted over war crimes

International prosecutors questioned Kosovo's ex-prime minister and wartime guerrilla commander Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday in the latest in a series of war crimes proceedings against him.

Haradinaj left the hearing at the special court for Kosovo in The Hague along with Jakup Krasniqi, a spokesman for his former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who was also questioned.

"I responded today to the special tribunal's request, as a suspect," Haradinaj told reporters outside the special court's high-security buildings.

"I used my right to remain silent," he said.

Haradinaj was the commander of the ethnic Albanian guerrillas in the Western Kosovo region of Dukagjin, where heavy fighting and abuse of civilians occurred on both sides during the war.&nbsp;

Observers in Kosovo say he could be held accountable for having failed to prevent crimes committed by KLA members under his command.

Haradinaj said prosecutors did not confront him with "concrete" evidence on Wednesday, as they did not have to divulge any information at this stage according to the law.

"They talked about my role during the war, but they did not give me anything concrete... We asked for explanations but did not receive them," said the former guerrilla.

He said he believed "always to have been in line with what is right."

"We have fulfilled our legal obligation, according to the laws in force," Krasniqi told reporters. He did not say whether he was questioned as a suspect or a witness.

Haradinaj, 51, resigned last week as prime minister after being summoned by the court.

Freedom fighter 
Created in 2015, the tribunal investigates crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanian political opponents during and after the 1998-99 war.

Funded by the European Union and composed of international judges, the special court nonetheless falls under Kosovar law and is based in The Hague to protect witnesses.&nbsp;

Haradinaj has already been tried and acquitted twice for war crimes by another UN tribunal for former Yugoslavia.

"I always responded to (requirements) of national and international laws (but)... I also have my dignity", Haradinaj told AFP in January.

The last conflict in the former Yugoslavia between the KLA and Serbian armed forces claimed more than 13,000 lives, including some 11,000 ethnic Albanians.

It ended when a Western bombing campaign forced Serbian forces to withdraw.

Two decades later Belgrade still does not recognise its former province's independence.

Some thirty former KLA members have been summoned by the special court which has yet to file a single criminal charge. &nbsp;

"Freedom fighters always do what is right and just," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

International prosecutors questioned Kosovo's ex-prime minister and wartime guerrilla commander Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday in the latest in a series of war crimes proceedings against him.

International prosecutors questioned Kosovo's ex-prime minister and wartime guerrilla commander Ramush Haradinaj on Wednesday in the latest in a series of war crimes proceedings against him. Haradinaj left the hearing at the special court for Kosovo in The Hague along with Jakup Krasniqi, a spokesman for his former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who was also questioned. "I responded today to the special tribunal's request, as a suspect," Haradinaj told reporters outside the special court's high-security buildings. "I used my right to remain silent," he said. Haradinaj was the commander of the ethnic Albanian guerrillas in the Western Kosovo region of Dukagjin, where heavy fighting and abuse of civilians occurred on both sides during the war. Observers in Kosovo say he could be held accountable for having failed to prevent crimes committed by KLA members under his command. Haradinaj said prosecutors did not confront him with "concrete" evidence on Wednesday, as they did not have to divulge any information at this stage according to the law. "They talked about my role during the war, but they did not give me anything concrete... We asked for explanations but did not receive them," said the former guerrilla. He said he believed "always to have been in line with what is right." "We have fulfilled our legal obligation, according to the laws in force," Krasniqi told reporters. He did not say whether he was questioned as a suspect or a witness. Haradinaj, 51, resigned last week as prime minister after being summoned by the court. Freedom fighter Created in 2015, the tribunal investigates crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against Serbs, Roma and ethnic Albanian political opponents during and after the 1998-99 war. Funded by the European Union and composed of international judges, the special court nonetheless falls under Kosovar law and is based in The Hague to protect witnesses. Haradinaj has already been tried and acquitted twice for war crimes by another UN tribunal for former Yugoslavia. "I always responded to (requirements) of national and international laws (but)... I also have my dignity", Haradinaj told AFP in January. The last conflict in the former Yugoslavia between the KLA and Serbian armed forces claimed more than 13,000 lives, including some 11,000 ethnic Albanians. It ended when a Western bombing campaign forced Serbian forces to withdraw. Two decades later Belgrade still does not recognise its former province's independence. Some thirty former KLA members have been summoned by the special court which has yet to file a single criminal charge. "Freedom fighters always do what is right and just," Haradinaj wrote on Facebook.

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj questioned at war crimes court