Kosova Daily Report #1517, 98-08-10

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From: Kosova Information Center <http://www.kosova.com/>

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1517
Prishtina, 10 August 1998

CONTENTS

[01] President Rugova Receives Ambassador Hill

[02] Serb Offensive Continues in Gjakova Area, Four Albanians Killed in Here^ Village

[03] One of the Fiercest Serb Attacks on De^an Villages Continues Today

[04] Serb Police Attacks Albanian Family Compound, Three Albanians Killed Today

[05] Serb Shooting Spree in Prishtina

[06] Serb Forces Shell the Carralev& Mountains Pass Area

[07] 90 Percent of the Albanian Houses Burnt or Damaged in 25 Villages in Klina

[08] Heavy Gunfire Reported around the Sealed Off Village in Ka^anik

[09] Serb Sniper Shoots Dead Albanian at His Home in Suhareka

[10] Over 400 Villagers Holed Up in Llausha for Eight Days Now

[11] Prizren College Student Leaders to Stand Trial Before Serb Court Tuesday

[12] Serb Police Embarks on Arrest Campaign of Local Activists in Ka^anik

[13] Armed Serbs Open Fire in the Direction of Albanian Villages in Vushtrri

[14] Flat of LDK Vice-Chairman Broken Into By Serbs in Klina

[01] President Rugova Receives Ambassador Hill

In the meeting, the extremely difficult situation in Kosova in the wake of the Serbian offensive, as well as ways to de-escalate the situation and create the environment for the resumption of negotiations between Prishtina and Belgrade were discussed.

[02] Serb Offensive Continues in Gjakova Area, Four Albanians Killed in Here^ Village

Besides the De^an villages, the villages of Dujak& and Plan^or have been also scene of clashes, while the heaviest fighting occurred in the village of Here^, the LDK Information Commission in Gjakova reported.

Four Albanians have been reported killed in Here^ - Mus& Bajrami (80), Asllan Bajrami (19), Din& Rexhepi (63) and Met& Dervishi (80).

Many Albanians have been reported wounded there, but their identity has not been made known.

All the houses in Here^ have been burned and destroyed, the LDK sources said.

The Serbian side is reported to have suffered casualties, too.

The sound of heavy artillery detonations can be heard today coming from Serb forces shelling from their positions in Kodra e ^abratit, in Suka e Biteshit and elsewhere in the region, local sources said.

While fighting continues, the Serb army has issued an ultimatum to residents of the village of Skivjan - to surrender weapons or leave the village.

Amidst continued Serb attacks in Here^ and the outlying area, the population has been fleeing homes in large numbers.

Some 15.000 residents of the area have been living in the open in the meadows stretching between the villages of Skivjan and Novosell&. They are without shelter, food, and clean water.

The Serb police manning checkpoints in the Gjakova suburbs is ill- treating Albanians displaced from their homes in villages who try to enter the town.

The Albanian authorities in Gjakova say they will not be able to shoulder the burden - to cater for the needs of so many arrivals.

They call on international organizations to do something about their plight.

Meanwhile, reports from the ground indicate fighting is continuing in the border area villages, as well as near Junik, the huge village between Gjakova and De^an.

There was low-intensity gunfire in the region of Dushkaj& last night and today, LDK sources said.

[03] One of the Fiercest Serb Attacks on De^an Villages Continues Today

Zek& Sinani, a local journalist in De^an, described the situation in the area today as excessively dramatic. The villages of Prejlep, Drogolluk, Irzniq, Rastavic&, Baballoq, Grama^el, Gllogjan, Shaptej and Dubrav& have been pounded with all kinds of weapons, including high-caliber cannons, he said.

The ongoing Serbian military and police troops attack, launched Sunday morning in De^an area, is considered to be one of the fiercest so far in that part of Kosova.

Zek& Sinani said the casualty toll, both in fatalities and wounded persons, is feared to be high, noting that it is quite impossible to establish their identity.

The village of Prapaqan was reported shelled for the first time today since the fighting broke out in the western part of Kosova.

At last ten houses caught fire in Prejlep alone since morning today.

A wide area around the villages under the unfolding Serb attack has been rigorously sealed off by Serb troops, military police, and paramilitary, witnesses said. Activists in the region said they fear, with reason, that Serbs might mount yet another campaign of massacring the civilian population.

The local population had returned over the past days to many of the villages that came under the renewed Serb attacks on Sunday.

They had to flee the area under attack for a second time, and according to witnesses Serbian forces have opened fire on the fleeing population, mostly women and children.

Meanwhile, the chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Righst and Freedoms (CDHRF) in De^an said it seemed that the attack of Serb forces in the afternoon was centered in the Gllogjan village. At around 13:15 hrs, Serbs began pounding the village with ground-to-ground rockets.

[04] Serb Police Attacks Albanian Family Compound, Three Albanians Killed Today

A Serb police expedition, involving two armored cars, a firefighter vehicle, and several other cars, were involved in an attack against the Kurtaj family compound in the village of Gabrric&, which started at 4:45 in the morning today (Monday).

The house of Danush Miftar Kurtaj (37) was the target. Three persons were killed, one of whom was named as Xheladin Miftar Kurtaj (24), a student of the Academy of Dramatic Arts, Dept. of Acting. The identity of the two other fatalities has not been made known yet.

After the attack ended, Serb forces arrested Danush Miftar Kurtaj, his wife Bylgjyzare (1971), Havushe (1963), Danush's sister-in-law. and Fatmir Feriz Kurtaj (1962), a teacher with the local elementary school "Ali Asllani" in Doganaj village of Ka^anik.

The Serb expedition pulled out of the village at 9 o'clock in the morning.

The LDK Information Commission said the extent of firepower used by Serb forces was evident in the destruction the houses has suffered: spent casings, part of the house burned, windows smashed. In the entrance to the houses and around the guest hall there were pools of blood, LDK sources said.

The front door of Isuf Qazim Kurtaj (around 50 years old), who is a guest worker abroad, have been destroyed by an armored vehicle.

The Serb police handed over the bodies of the three killed Albanians to the Albanian Muslim Community in Ferizaj ("Urosevac') this afternoon.

[05] Serb Shooting Spree in Prishtina

There was a shooting spree after 21:00 hrs yesterday (Sunday) after victory by the 'Yugoslav' national basketball team of the World Cup. Machine-gun fire was reported in several parts of Prishtina.

From houses and blocks of flats, from cafes and restaurants, on the streets and from passing cars, Serbs shot their arms and their hysteria. An unacquainted person would have been led to think real war had started.

Serb gangs roamed the streets, entering also purely ethnic Albanian neighborhoods, singing Chetnik songs and shooting .

At 21:30 hrs, several groups of armed Serbs on board six private cars paraded through the Kodra e Trimave ('Vranjevac') neighborhood, chanting "Serbia, Serbia", "Gde ste siptari" ("Where are you, Albanians?"). They opened fire on two businesses. There were no reported casualties.

Groups of Serb policemen have been building up in Prishtina and its suburbs. Last night's shooting spree had the organization and supervision of Serb police.

A similar Serb spree in the town of Mitrovica left one Albanian child wounded. Endrit S. Berani (7) was shot and wounded on his flat's balcony last night.

[06] Serb Forces Shell the Carralev& Mountains Pass Area

The shelling was probably to open the way for a Serb military convoy to pass, the very convoy that paraded in the morning hours in Shtime and headed towards Prizren eventually.

The convoy involved tanks, armored cars and anti-aircraft launchers.

LDK sources said Serb military opened fire in different directions from its positions in the Pishnajat e Shtimes (the Shtime pinewood) and the Kodra e G&shtenjave.

Local Serbs in Shtime were reported shooting last night, and that bullets had hit Albanian houses.

Meanwhile, reports said Selim Rexhepi (55) was buried yesterday in his native village of Petrov&. He was killed a few days earlier by Serb forces shelling.

[07] 90 Percent of the Albanian Houses Burnt or Damaged in 25 Villages in Klina

Reports said 90 percent of the Albanian houses have been burned or damaged by Serb shelling in 25 villages of the municipality.

Yesterday, Serb forces torched the Albanian houses in the village of Dollc.

On Albanian house was burned in the town of Klina, and two others in suburbs.

Meanwhile, reports said Serbs opened fire from the village of Grapc, mostly inhabited by Serbs, on Saturday.

There was Serb fire targeting the villages of Ranoc and Leskoc, too. Their Albanian population, as well as residents of the village of Kosh, fled their homes, LDK sources said.

[08] Heavy Gunfire Reported around the Sealed Off Village in Ka^anik

The local LDK chapter in Ka^anik said heavy Serb forces sealed off the area around Duraj village since about 9 o'clock in the morning.

Heavy shooting was heard coming from the area soon, said LDK activists who could not learn what actually happened there until early afternoon.

Sources said that many residents of the Duraj and the surrounding villages were fleeing their homes today morning, fearful of a Serb crackdown.

[09] Serb Sniper Shoots Dead Albanian at His Home in Suhareka

The LDK Information Commission in Suhareka said Xhemail Kryeziu was gunned down by a Serb sniper overnight, at around 1:15 a.m. The Commission failed to offer other details surrounding his killing, noting only that he was in his house lobby when hit from a sniper rifle.

[10] Over 400 Villagers Holed Up in Llausha for Eight Days Now

Four residents of Llausha who managed to escape from the village on Sunday have told the chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Mitrovica that over 400 villagers, mostly women, children and elderly, have been huddled in the farmsteads of Gecaj, Shatri and Lani extended families, unable to make it out. They have been quickly running out of food supplies, while Serb forces dug-in in key positions, shoot at anything that moves, they said.

The witnesses claimed two women, one of them identified as Mevlude Gecaj and the other surnamed as Taraku, were killed last week by Serb forces, while another one, her first name being Fatime, was wounded. While running away from their village, they said they had spotted the body of a dead man, in his mid-forties, lying on the fields just outside Llausha.

The Llausha villagers told the human rights council that the Gecaj neighborhood's residential area, which used to house tens of extended families, was burned to the ground.

[11] Prizren College Student Leaders to Stand Trial Before Serb Court Tuesday

Bylbyl Duraku, chairman and Nijazi Kryeziu, Aqif Iljazi, Behare Tafallari, Leonor& Morina, Jehon& Krasniqi, Sejdi Bellanica, D&frim Rifaj and Sherif Iljazi, members of the Student Union leadership have been held in pre-trial detention since last spring. They face Serb regime charges for alleged "terrorist activity".

The LDK chapter in Prizren has quoted witnesses as saying that the Prizren College student leaders were subject to outrageous torture during the pre- trial period, both at detention house in Prizren and in the Lipjan jail.

[12] Serb Police Embarks on Arrest Campaign of Local Activists in Ka^anik

The LDK chapter in Ka^anik said it has learned the names of the following activists rounded up by Serb police today: Mejdi Dalloshi, head of the municipal educational bureau, Tefik Raka, educational adviser, and his son Agron Raka, as well as Abdylgafurr Luma, member of the LDK Presidency in Ka^anik, and Hasan Dalloshi, a local LDK activist in Soponica village.

They were reported still in custody in early afternoon today.

[13] Armed Serbs Open Fire in the Direction of Albanian Villages in Vushtrri

Last night, Serb torched haystack belonging to Gani Duraku in the village of Stanovc i Posht&m.

[14] Flat of LDK Vice-Chairman Broken Into By Serbs in Klina

Mr. Berisha told the KIC that his relatives had told him the lock to the front door of his flat had been changed and a piece of paper with the Serb name "Rade" pasted on it.

Kosova Information Center

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