Kosovo: war crimes trial of former president Thaci to begin in The Hague

 Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci goes on trial at a Hague war crimes tribunal Monday accused of a bloody campaign of murder and torture in the 1998-1999 independence war with Serbia.

The one-time guerrilla hero, who denies the charges, allegedly targeted perceived enemies of the ethnic Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), including Serbs and Roma, as the rebels sought to seize power.

Prosecutors say Thaci, who went by the nickname "Snake" during the war, is jointly responsible for more than 100 murders by the KLA ranging from executions to deaths of mistreated detainees.