Kosova Daily Report #1426, 98-05-11

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

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1426
Prishtina, 11 May 1998

First Edition: 16:15 CET
Second Edition: 18:00 CET
Third Edition: 19:45 CET

CONTENTS

[01] Sporadic Shooting at Baballoq and Hulaj Villages Overnight

[02] Arms Shooting near Sllatina Village of Prishtina

[03] C&rmjan Village Comes under Renewed Serb Fire Overnight

[04] Hundreds of New Displaced People in Kosova Over the Weekend

[05] Overnight Shelling of Llapushnik by Serb Forces, Several Houses Damaged

[06] Machine-gun Fire Heard Coming from Compounds of Serbian Army Barracks in Mitrovica

[07] Unidentified Persons Toss Explosive Device on Albanian Businesses

[08] Serbian Police Raids LDK and CDHRF Offices in Gllogovc

[09] Human Rights Activist Arrested in Podujeva

[10] Extended Detention for Seven Arrested Albanians in Mitrovica

[11] Serbian Police Detains Repatriated Albanian Asylum Seeker

[12] Albanian Beaten Up Severely at Rahovec

[13] Serbian Forces Launch an Attack at Cerovik Village (Central Kosova)

[14] Baballoq Village of De^an Comes Under Renewed Heavy Serb Fire Monday Afternoon

[15] Prishtina-Peja Highway Still Closed, Shooting Reported in Komoran

[01] Sporadic Shooting at Baballoq and Hulaj Villages Overnight

The village was targeted yesterday (Sunday) from Serbian army positions at Hulaj village, too.

The LDK Information Commission in De^an said Baballoq was attacked in the afternoon yesterday with heavy guns and rocket launchers.

Around 40 shells were launched against the village.

Reports spoke of considerable material damage. There was no word on possible human casualties among the villagers.

Fire from diverse weaponry was reported opened from the Serbian army base at Hulaj. A location called Shkalla e Hulajve, a kilometer away from the border with Albania, was the target of Serb fire, sources said.

Many Hulaj residents fled their homes and sheltered in nearby villages, considered to be a bit more safe.

Heavy Serb forces left De^an in the direction of Gjakova early in the morning today. It is not known where they deployed eventually, but it is feared they might be taking up positions to launch large- scale attacks on the village of Baballoq, whose inhabitants have been putting up a defense of their homes.

Serbian sources reported that a Serb policeman was killed at a police checkpoint at Baballoq yesterday afternoon.

The village of Baballoq has been under a Serbian siege since 21 April 1998.

[02] Arms Shooting near Sllatina Village of Prishtina

The location is around a mile away from the Prishtina airport.

An inhabitant of the Rrafshi neighborhood, some 200 meters away from the intersection, told KIC there was a ten-minute shooting after 6:30 am today. Then the police sealed off the area.

The Rrafshi neighborhood is situated between the villages of Harilaq and Sllatina. Some Albanian families left their homes in fear of an imminent Serb action there. Serb families live in the neighborhood, too.

[03] C&rmjan Village Comes under Renewed Serb Fire Overnight

Serb forces resumed their attack on the "Suka e C&rmjanit" hilltop.

Local sources said Serb forces attacked with various weapons, including heavy guns.

Shooting at C&rmjan went on all night long, sources said, failing to say anything about possible casualties.

Heavy Serb military and police troops were reported heading to the villages between Gjakova and De^an at the border area with Albania, Ponoshec, Morina, Smolica.

Serbian police armoured vehicles are roaming the streets of the town of Gjakova, police routinely harassing the Albanian citizens, the LDK Information Commission in Gjakova said.

[04] Hundreds of New Displaced People in Kosova Over the Weekend

While a fierce attack by the Serbian paramilitary and police forces was underway on the Balinca village Friday afternoon, only miles away tractors and cars carrying women and children were on the move. They were residents of Gllareva and Rigjeva villages heading to other villages in the vicinity. Only a mile away from the road, Serbian forces had launched a new attack. Two elderly men and a youth were killed during the attack.

The weekend attack on several villages of Gllogovc municipality, Arllat, Llapushnik and Vukovc, prompted the displacement of almost one thousand persons, mostly women and children, to the mountainous villages of Shala and Berisha.

Many villages along these roads have been virtually deserted.

Reports from Gllogovc, Malisheva and Klina municipalities speak of a disastrous humanitarian situation in this poverty-stricken area.

Tens of thousands of Albanians have fled their homes in the Drenica region and other parts of central Kosova, as well as border villages with Albania, in the wake of armed Serbian operations against Albanian settlements.

[05] Overnight Shelling of Llapushnik by Serb Forces, Several Houses Damaged

The Serb forces targeted the Tha^i, Gashi and Popa family compounds.

Sources in Gllogovc said the houses of Fazli, Shefqet, Azem and Bajram Gashit suffered considerable damage.

Two unexploded grenades are still lying in the yard of Bajram Gashi's house, LDK sources said.

[06] Machine-gun Fire Heard Coming from Compounds of Serbian Army Barracks in Mitrovica

Reportedly, three Serb policemen fired shots in the air at the Bair neighborhood of Mitrovica.

Sources in Mitrovica reported of increased movements of Serbian forces in the direction of neighboring Skenderaj ('Srbica') Monday morning.

[07] Unidentified Persons Toss Explosive Device on Albanian Businesses

The newspaper rushed to accuse "Albanian terrorists" who allegedly targeted persons who "respect the Serbian laws"!

Albanian businesses have the target of Serbian regime repression for a decade now.

Serbs have looted Kosovar businesses through so-called "fiscal police" expeditions from Serbia.

Meanwhile, Koha Ditore reported that Serbian police broke into the premises of the Albanian-owned "Korabi Komerc" private enterprise at Ratkoc village of Rahovec and turned it into a police station.

"The shop was very well-supplied on the day it was occupied by Serb police. It was our only source of income", the owner, Fetah Kelmendi, told the Albanian language daily.

[08] Serbian Police Raids LDK and CDHRF Offices in Gllogovc

There was no one in the offices at the time of the police raid.

Police broke into, smashed up furniture and seized written materials.

The CDHRF said the police sized copies of all the recent human rights reports.

Several villages in the municipality of Gllogovc were attacked Friday and Saturday by Serbian forces. At least one Albanian was killed and three wounded.

Sources the post office in town, which is run by Serbs, was closed down today.

Several Albanian Families Raided in Prishtina PRISHTINA, May 11 (KIC) - Serbian police raided Monday morning several Albanian homes at Robert Gajdiku street in Prishtina, capital of Kosova.

The home of Gani Murtezi was raided. Police found only his wife and five of his children inside, although they alleged they were looking for hidden weapons and a person that had walked into their home.

The police raided also on several other homes in this street, but the LDK Information Commission failed to obtain the names.

Meanwhile, Serbian army was reported moving along this street, as well as fire arms shots heard in the direction of an army depot situated at Mati^an suburbs of Prishtina.

[09] Human Rights Activist Arrested in Podujeva

Mr. Surkishi is a local human rights activist.

The motive of reason for his arrest is unknown, local sources said.

[10] Extended Detention for Seven Arrested Albanians in Mitrovica

Serbian police arrested these Albanians under charges that they had helped the late Artim S. Jashari (24) from Mitrovica, who was allegedly engaged in an attack on a Serbian police patrol in Mitrovica.

Artim Jashari was killed by the Serbian police early in the morning on 6 May.

[11] Serbian Police Detains Repatriated Albanian Asylum Seeker

Mr. Bajrami said Agim Binaku was originally from a village in the Drenica region, LDK sources in Kamenica reported.

[12] Albanian Beaten Up Severely at Rahovec

LDK sources in Rahovec said Mr. Mazreku was hit severely with automatic rifle butts and had his damaged car on grounds that he was a member of the militant group, the so-called U^K.

Skender Mazreku has to seek medical treatment.

[13] Serbian Forces Launch an Attack at Cerovik Village (Central Kosova)

The attack began at 1.30 pm and is still going on. The Serb forces have been targeting the Krasniqi neighborhood.

At least thirty grenades have been fired against Albanian families of the village. Serbian forces deployed at the Mleqan village, opposite Cerovik, have been targeting the resident with snipers, sources in Klina said.

Cerovik village is situated in the central part of Kosova, two miles off the Prishtina-Peja highway.

Heavy Serbian police forces have been deployed in Kijeva since the end of January, keeping the village under a tight siege.

The Serbian regime has also supplied the Serbian residents of Kijeva with various armaments in recent months.

An Albanian resident inside Cerovik told KIC on the phone the shootings died out just before 6 pm, but the situation remains dangerous./end text/

[14] Baballoq Village of De^an Comes Under Renewed Heavy Serb Fire Monday Afternoon

The village was intermittently attacked by the Serb forces during the whole course of last night and today morning. Over 40 shells were fired against the village overnight, damaging many houses.

The LDK Information Commission in De^an said fire from diverse weaponry, including heavy artillery, was opened again from the Serbian army base at Hulaj this aftrenoon.

Serbian sources reported that a Serb policeman was killed at a police checkpoint at Baballoq Sunday afternoon.

The village of Baballoq has been under a Serbian siege since mid- April.

[15] Prishtina-Peja Highway Still Closed, Shooting Reported in Komoran

Witnesses told KIC that no vehicle could be seen driving westwards from Sllatina village, near the Prishtina Airport, all day today.

A resident of Komoran, a village close to the Prishtina-Peja- Gllogovc intersection, told KIC by phone at 19:30 today that streets of the village as well as those leading towards the three tows are deserted.

Serb police at the checkpoint in the crossroads have been firing in the air to cause panic amongst the few residents of the village who are still staying in their homes.

The residents of Komoran whose houses are situated along the highway as well as those near the police checkpoint have left houses during over the last two days seeking shelter with their relatives in other parts of Kosova.

Half a dozen Albanians were killed by Serb forces in the villages west of Komoran since Friday afternoon.

Kosova Information Center

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