Kosova Daily Report #1484, 98-07-08

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Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1484
Prishtina, 8 July 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Five Human Bodies Taken to Gjakova Town Morgue

[02] Albanian Killed in Suhareka Town Center Today Morning

[03] Four Albanians Killed, Thirteen Wounded in Fighting at Loxh&

[04] Heavy Fighting in Reka e Keqe Region Reported

[05] Serb Forces Shelled De^an Villages Monday Night, Early Morning Tuesday

[06] Ten Young Albanians Abducted by Serb Forces in a Village of Klina

[07] Serb Police Arrests Large Number of Albanians in Gjakova

[08] Machine Gun Fire in the Direction of Bilush& Village

[09] Serbs Open Machine Gun Fire on Albanian Village in Leposaviq

[10] Serbs Shell Cerovik Village from Kijeva Base

[11] Bardhi and Hade Villages Held at Constant Serb Snipers Gunpoint

[12] Serb Police Patrol Beats Albanian Teachers in Vushtrri

[01] Five Human Bodies Taken to Gjakova Town Morgue

Their identity is not known yet, but they are presumably people killed in the fighting in Reka e Keqe region, adjacent to the Kosova-Albania border.

The hospital morgue in Gjakova was reported held under tight control by Serb police today.

[02] Albanian Killed in Suhareka Town Center Today Morning

Sadri Kryeziu was killed at around 8:30 today in his workplace, a newspaper kiosk in downtown Suhareka, the local LDK chapter said.

The LDK chapter said the circumstances the late Kryeziu was killed in are still unsolved, noting only that a convoy of Serb police forces in armored vehicles was driving through the town then.

The Serb police has sealed off the area around the kiosk where Sadri Kryeziu was killed, sources said.

[03] Four Albanians Killed, Thirteen Wounded in Fighting at Loxh&

The village is now under Albanian control, sources said.

Three U^K fighters - Lumni Surdulli (29), resident of Samadrexh& in Vushtrri, Rrustem Beqir Bru^i (40), resident of Isniq in De^an, and Enver Tahir Alaj (33), resident of Drenoc in De^ani - were killed in the fighting. The three were buried with all military honor at the village of Isniq on Tuesday.

A fourth Albanian, Tahir S. Shala (35), native of Loxh&, was killed on Sunday.

The LDK sources said the following people have been wounded on the Albanian side: Binak Dinaj, Ali Bu^olli, Ramadan Bu^olli and Haki Rexhepaj, Shpend Re^aj, Syl& Muriqi, Kujtim Dreshaj, Faruk Xhemajli, Shaban Pej^inoviq, a local Bosniak from Prapaqan village of De^an, Hasim Shala,Imer Elezaj, Brahim Mazrekaj, and Gjyk& Shala (65) from Loxha.

Meanwhile, local Albanian sources said at least 8 Serb policemen have been killed and ten others wounded in the clashes.

All roads leading to the village of Loxh& have been sealed off by Serbian forces, the Peja chapter of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said Tuesday afternoon.

People from Peja neighborhood of Dardania III, which neighbors on the village of Loxh&, said the village suffered considerable damage, with at least one house burned down, some 20 houses damaged from shelling, and many others looted by Serbian forces.

[04] Heavy Fighting in Reka e Keqe Region Reported

Serbian forces embarked yesterday on a frontal attack against the area, the village of Morin& being scene of the fiercest fighting, sources said.

Still unconfirmed reports indicate that in this frontal confrontation the casualty-toll is high on both sides, and the material damage immense.

Serbian forces have been using heavy combat equipment in today's attacks in the Reka e Keqe region, LDK sources said.

[05] Serb Forces Shelled De^an Villages Monday Night, Early Morning Tuesday

Many Albanian alpine summer huts in the De^an mountains were set ablaze by Serb forces on Monday, local sources said.

The situation in the De^an area was a bit calmer on Tuesday with only sporadic sniper fire.

[06] Ten Young Albanians Abducted by Serb Forces in a Village of Klina

The abductees were unarmed, on their way to their relatives in the villages of Lumbardh, Krushec, Kosuriq and Beleg of the municipality of De^an, local sources said.

Eye-witnesses said they saw the abducted people trailed to a tractor at Po^est& village, apparently being driven in the direction of Gorazhdec, a largely Serb-inhabited village.

[07] Serb Police Arrests Large Number of Albanians in Gjakova

Four Gjakova residents - Florent A. Lipoveci, Argjend M. Pulani, Bashkim Efendiu and Burim Lleshi - have been in Serb custody since Saturday, local LDK sources said.

A large number of Albanians, mainly activists of LDK and other parties, have been reported detained by the Serb police in Gjakova over the past couple of days, sources said.

[08] Machine Gun Fire in the Direction of Bilush& Village

A convoy of Serb forces travelled to the village of Zhur, close to the border area with Albania, on Tuesday. Reportedly, they opened fire in direction of farmers working in their fields.

At a location called "Te Ura e Ho^&s" (The Ho^a Bridge), Serbian forces stopped a passenger bus, forcing the commuters out and lay down on the ground. They were ill-treated and robbed of their money, sources said.

[09] Serbs Open Machine Gun Fire on Albanian Village in Leposaviq

^abra is an Albanian-inhabited village in Leposaviq municipality, the only one with a majority Serb population in Kosova.

The village which has some 133 Albanian households surrounded by Serb hamlets on all sides.

The LDK Information Commission in Mitrovica said the Serbs attacked ^abra from the neighboring village of Zup^e today. Shootings from different weapons, including automatic and machine-guns began at around 5 a.m. today.

The LDK chapter in Mitrovica could not offer details on possible casualties or damage, noting that the Serb intention could have only been to instill panic in the Albanian-inhabited village.

A large number of ^abra residents have already fled their homes heading for Mitrovica, sources said.

[10] Serbs Shell Cerovik Village from Kijeva Base

Sources in Klina said Cerovik, which is about two km away from the Serb bases, was bombarded with artillery and fired upon with machine-guns from 18:00 through 21:30 on Tuesday.

The LDK Information Commission in Klina said it could not learn whether there were casualties in Cerovik last night, noting only that enormous material damage was caused.

Members of the local resistance units and the U^K fired back, the Commission said.

[11] Bardhi and Hade Villages Held at Constant Serb Snipers Gunpoint

The two villages are adjacent to an open-pit coal mine which was taken over by Serb forces after having been under the U^K control for about one week late last month.

LDK sources in Fush&-Kosova and Obliq said Serb snipers positioned in key places around the two villages have been shooting at anything that moves there.

After having advanced into Hade, the Serbs embarked on a large- scale campaign of breaking into homes of Albanians, plundering and destroying them mercilessly, witnesses said.

Residents of Bardhi and Hade fled the villages in the wake of the Serb offensive. Sources said that a large number of dead cattle are lying on the fields and barns which can easily become source of an epidemic there.

[12] Serb Police Patrol Beats Albanian Teachers in Vushtrri

LDK sources in Vushtrri ('Vucitern') said the two teachers were walking on the street in the town when halted by a Serb police patrol.

The police asked the two teachers produce their IDs. Then they were beaten up with no reason whatsoever.

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