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Kosova Daily Report #1653, 99-01-04
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1653
Prishtina, 4 January 1999
CONTENTS
[01] Reported Mass Grave of 11 Women and Children Near Ferizaj to Be
Investigated
[02] Five Albanians and Two Serbs Killed in Six Unsolved Incidents Last
Week
[03] Extremely Volatile Situation amidst Heavy Serb Police Presence in
Mitrovica
[04] U^K Officer Killed in Ambush Late Sunday Evening
[05] U^K Establishes News Agency and Radio Station
[06] Infant Dies for Lack of Medical Care in Malisheva Village
[07] Serb Soldiers and Policemen Brutalize and Arrest Albanian Brothers in
Zhur
[01] Reported Mass Grave of 11 Women and Children Near Ferizaj to Be
Investigated
Says spokesman for the OSCE monitors in Kosova
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - "U.S. KDOM and OSCE human rights representatives
spoke with a KLA (Kosova Liberation Army, known as U^K in Albanian)
representative about a reported mass grave of 11 women and children near
Urosevac ('Ferizaj')", KDOM Daily Report, December 30, 1998 said. "Pictures
of the grave and its approximate location were provided, but adverse road
conditions prevented U.S. KDOM from entering the area. U.S. KDOM asked the
OSCE representative to follow up on this report," U.S. KDOM (Kosova
Diplomatic Observer Mission) Daily Report added.
The OSCE human rights department within the Kosova Verification Mission
(KVM) will investigate the whole matter in the coming days, according to a
spokesman for the OSCE KVM.
[02] Five Albanians and Two Serbs Killed in Six Unsolved Incidents Last
Week
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - Five Albanians and two Serbs were killed in Kosova
in six separate, still unsolved incidents, around the New Year.
Ibrahim Shabani (37), resident of Vojnovc village of Shtime, was killed
Tuesday, 29 December, around 23:00 hrs on the road leading to the village
of Dremnjak, the LDK chapter in Shtime reported.
LDK sources said the killed Albanian was driving a tractor transporting
wheat flour. Ibrahim was shot dead by unknown assailants in a black car
without license plates.
On Thursday morning, Miftar Murtez Reshani, father of five, a janitor in
the Middle Agricultural School in Ferizaj, was found dead near a warehouse
of second-hand tyres, at the entrance to the town of Ferizaj ('Urosevac')
from the Shtime direction, local LDK sources said. Automatic weapons fire
had been reported heard the previous day, at 20:30 hrs, in the area where
Miftar was found lying dead.
The bodies of two killed persons were found lying near a Roma neighborhood
in the town of Mitrovica on Saturday, 2 January. They were later identified
as Serbs - Gojko Jevtic, resident of Suhodoll village, and Dragi Kovacevic,
resident of Mitrovica. A few days earlier, three men of Roma community were
found killed in the neighborhood.
On Saturday evening, around 22.00 hrs, unknown assailants killed Enver
Gashi (1960) from Shtime in front of his family house, the local chapter of
the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) reported.
Eye-witnesses were quoted as saying two unidentified persons got out of a
black Golf car and shot Enver down, while a third person was waiting in the
car. The killers run away in the direction of Prishtina, CDHRF sources
said.
Veton Kelmendi (27), father of one, was found killed Sunday in the village
of Gllavi^ic&, near the Peja-Prishtina highway. The LDK chapter in Peja
said Veton, resident of Pavlan village, was killed with a bullet some 5 km
away from his home.
A local U^K (Kosova Liberation Army) officer, Xhavit Jusufi (45), was
killed Sunday evening, at around 23:00 hrs, ambushed at "Te varret e
Smrekonic&s" (the Smrekonica cemetery) in Vushtrri municipality, the LDK
chapter in Mitrovica said.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing of
these people from Tuesday through Sunday evening.
[03] Extremely Volatile Situation amidst Heavy Serb Police Presence in
Mitrovica
Arms fire reported in two neighborhoods, many Albanian households raided by
Serb forces on Sunday and Monday
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - Shooting from arms fire was reported in two
neighborhoods of the town of Mitrovica ( ("7 Shtatori" and "Kroi i
Vitakut") from 17:00 throuhg 24:00 on Sunday.
Shooting in Mitrovica - a source of continuous panic for the local Albanian
population - has become an almost daily occurrence, the LDK chapter in town
said.
Earlier in the day on Sunday, from 10:00 through 15:00 hrs, some 40 Serb
policemen were involved in raiding a number of Albanian households in the
"2 Korriku" neighborhood in Mitrovica. Members of the Albanian families
were taken to police, the LDK chapter in Mitrovica said, naming the raided
house by family heads. Serb police smashed up property and held some 20
Albanians in Serb police custody for five hours.
Meanwhile, LDK sources said heavy Serb police forces were deployed in
crossroads and a number of neighborhoods in Mitrovica at 10 o'clock in the
morning today (Monday).
At around 13:00 hrs today, four carloads of Serb policemen and people in
plain clothes went to the house of Agim Hajrizi (37), chairman of the
Assembly of the Kosova Trade Unions (BSPK), the LDK chapter in Mitrovica
said.
The same Serb police and civilians raided then the home of Sahit H.
Parduzi (44) in "Tavnik" neighborhood, as well as the home of Sherif A.
Hajzeri (70. In the latter, police smashed up home furniture and robbed the
family of DM 1.000.
The same Serb police expedition was involved today in the raids of the
houses of Brahim Tmava and Avdyl Tmava in the "Shipol" neighborhood. Serbs
smashed up everything in their way during the raids, the LDK said.
Tens of Serb policemen on board 2 APCs and 8 other cars left for the Zhabar
i Ul&t village today. Police later raided the homes of brothers Ilmi, Bedri
and Afrim Ferati. After the raid, police took Ilmi Ferati with them. The
police were also after Mursel Ahmeti, local leader of the LDK in the
village of Zhabar i Ul&t, who happened not to be home at the time.
A number of Serb vehicles full of police arrived in Mitrovica from Vushtrri
at 10 a.m. today. They stopped at Suhadoll village, and raided a number of
Albanian houses, the LDK chapter said.
Tensions run high in the villages of Zhabar i Posht&m and Suhadoll, as well
as the "Tavnik" neighborhood in Mitrovica, LDK sources said.
[04] U^K Officer Killed in Ambush Late Sunday Evening
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - A local U^K (Kosova Liberation Army) officer,
Xhavit Jusufi (45), was killed Sunday evening, at around 23:00 hrs, in an
ambush at "Te varret e Smrekonic&s" (the Smrekonica cemetery) in Vushtrri
municipality, the LDK chapter in Mitrovica said.
Along with Mr. Jusufi, a resident of the village of Vidishiq, was also
another local U^K officer, whose name has not been disclosed, who was
reported lightly wounded.
The killed U^K officer will be buried Tuesday at 12:30 hrs.
[05] U^K Establishes News Agency and Radio Station
KOSOVA PRESS news agency and the KOSOVA E LIR& radio to be launched today
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - The General Staff of the Ushtria ^lirimtare e
Kosov&s (U^K, Kosova Liberation Army) said Sunday in a statement it had
decided to establish KOSOVA PRESS, a news agency, and a radio broadcasting
station named KOSOVA E LIR& (Free Kosova), which should provide the
Albanian and world public with "timely, comprehensive and objective
information".
The news agency starts work Monday, on 4 January 1999. Likewise on Monday,
Kosova e Lir& launches its "trial operations", the U^K said, failing to
give the frequencies.
"In this way, the authentic voice of the Albanian people of Kosova for
freedom and independence will be heard, and the first free state media
institutions in Kosova, in territories under the control of our glorious
Army, have been founded", the General Staff of the U^K said in the
statement, numbered 68.
[06] Infant Dies for Lack of Medical Care in Malisheva Village
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - A one-month infant of Milaim Kastrati, resident of
Turjak& village, has died today in the village for lack of medical care,
Mr. Cen Desku, member of the LDK chapter leadership in Malisheva said.
Residents of Malisheva area, in central Kosova, do not dare leave their
villages amidst permanent Serbian police threats and intimidation, Mr.
Desku said.
Ms Valentina Maloku, a wounded resident of Pllo^ica village of Malisheva,
was beaten up some time ago by Serb police in hospital, where she was being
treated, the LDK chapter said, failing to say where it happened.
[07] Serb Soldiers and Policemen Brutalize and Arrest Albanian Brothers in
Zhur
PRISHTINA, Jan 4 (KIC) - Some 30 Serb soldiers backed up by a tank at the
ready surrounded Sunday morning the house of Refki Reshit Susuri (1948) in
the village of Zhur, Prizren municipality, allegedly in connection with
arms shooting that had originated from the place earlier in the morning.
A number of Serb soldiers took Refki to the basement of a house and beat
him up brutally. Later, they raided his house as well as the house of his
brothers Hamza, Avni, Reshit and Nafi Susuri, who were then arrested, the
LDK chapter in Zhur said.
Refki sustained grave body injuries, including in the head and his kidneys,
and a number of broken teeth, the LDK said.
During the joint raid, Serb soldiers and police threatened family members,
alleging they had weapons and knew where the U^K was.
House furniture was smashed up by Serbs during their rampage.
The entire new part of the village of Zhur, with some 1.000 inhabitants,
fled their homes during the Serb crackdown on Sunday.
Meanwhile, today (Monday) morning, at 9:30 hrs, in another part of the
village, some 10 Serb soldiers made entry into the courtyard of the family
house of Rizan Ademaj. They held the women and children at gun-point while
yelling at them, the LDK sources said.
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