Kosova Daily Report #1506, 98-07-30

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

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1506
Prishtina, 30 July 1998

CONTENTS

[01] Serb Military Offensive against Border Area Villages in De^an and Gjakova Continues

[02] Two Explosions Occur in Prishtina Overnight

[03] Rugova's Group of Advisors, So-called G-15, Ceases Work

[04] Many Burned and Damaged Villages, Five More Dead Reported

[05] Serb Forces Pound Rahovec Villages, Loot Albanian Homes

[06] Serb Infantry Set Albanian Houses in Fire in Suhareka

[07] Serb Army Lays Landmines on Kosova Macedonia Border Zone

[08] Serb Gangs Terrorize Albanian Citizens in Peja

[09] Albanian Shepherd with His Throat Slit

[10] Over 140 Albanians Face Serb Charges for Support and Affiliation with U^K

[11] Serb Military Conduct Drill in Village of Podujeva

[01] Serb Military Offensive against Border Area Villages in De^an and Gjakova Continues

Serb troops have been closing in on the huge village of Junik, which lies between De^an and Gjakova, seen as an U^K stronghold.

There are thousands of civilians inside the village, though.

A Serb army colonel and many soldiers have been killed in the fighting of the past four days in the Junik area, local Albanian sources claim.

There have been attempts to evacuate the civilian population of the besieged Junik. Some 2,000 civilians are in the Bjeshk&t e Nemuna mountains, being targeted by the Serb artillery, local Albanian sources said.

The civilian population on the move towards other De^an villages is under constant threat, too.

There was sporadic fighting in the villages of Strellc i Ep&rm, Carrabreg i Posht&m, Prejlep and Rastavic&, in the municipality of De^an.

Meanwhile, heavy Serb troops - military, paramilitary and police - with heavy artillery and infantry units have been engaged in a large-scale offensive against the Reka e Keqe border villages in the municipality of Gjakova: Nec, Morin&, Smolic&, Stub&ll, Berjah&, Nivokaz.

Serb army helicopter flew low overhead the town of Gjakova today, before heading towards the battlefields, local sources said.

There is a huge displacement of the population in the region. Many of the people have been on the surrounding mountains, with miserable or now conditions for life.

[02] Two Explosions Occur in Prishtina Overnight

The sound of explosions was heard in the entire Dardania neighborhood, which has some 30.000 inhabitants. There was no material damage, though.

The eye-witness who spoke to the KIC said the first blast occurred in between two blocks of flats, numbered 7 and 9, respectively, in front of a warehouse of household appliances owned by an Albanian, "Ismajli".

"A car, probably BMW, with a light color, stood for some ten minutes after midnight in front of Block 7, with lights turn off", the eye-witness told the KIC. The car left then, to only return in a couple of minutes. "Now it was between the blocks, again with the lights turned off". After a while, a man got out of the car, whose front was towards the road, the eye-witness said. "A few seconds later, a loud explosion was heard." He said that when he peered from the window to see what had happened, the car was no longer there.

The eye-witness and some residents of the neighborhood claimed they had seen the very same car driving speedily along blue police cars, and other 'civilian' cars, which apparently belonged to the Serb security. (Even a white van with a TV sign drove through Dardania, along the Prishtina-Fush& Kosova road, after the explosion.) A second explosion was heard ten to fifteen minutes later, probably along the Prishtina-Fush& Kosova ('Kosovo Polje') road.

The Dardania residents and the eye-witness who revealed to the KIC details surrounding the first explosion said the two blasts might have been orchestrated by the Serb police/security.

In the first floor of Block 7, Serb police turned a community center's premises into its own housing unit, residents said, adding that 2 coffee bars run by Serbs are in the vicinity, 50-60 meters away, and policemen are prominent guests late in the evenings.

Serbian police frequented one of the two Serb cafes in the aftermath of the explosions last night.

In the morning today, the sign of the explosion was there on the concrete ground. Police came to the scene to examine it.

It is hard to believe they will have problems in determining who was behind the explosions, or indeed who carried them.

Meanwhile, Prishtina residents, not only in the Dardania neighborhood, woke at half past two to the sound of automatic weapons fire, and a bit later to the movement of Serb tanks and other motorized equipment.

A huge Serb army garrison is a mile away from Dardania, in the suburb of Prishtina, on the right side of the Prishtina - Fush&- Kosova roadway.

[03] Rugova's Group of Advisors, So-called G-15, Ceases Work

The G-15, six members of which had been turned into a negotiating team for Kosova in the talks process with Belgrade, had a meeting in Prishtina today which resulted in a self-suspension.

The Group deemed it had been 'superseded' by new developments in Kosova.

Political parties are now consulting to form a coalition government in Kosova, or a joint executive body, "which may seek a different organization of the negotiating process", Dr. Agani said, adding that this was the reason why the Group was terminating its work.

The public opinion will be duly informed about the platform and the work of the Group, he said in a statement.

Dr. Agani said the Group, which served as an advisory body to President Ibrahim Rugova, had no knowledge of an alleged U.S. project on Kosova, "on which Dr. Rugova and his advisors were informed", as Bujku correspondent from New York wrote.

When it was formed, the G-15 was welcomed by some Western diplomats as being representative of the whole political spectrum and the Kosovar society as a whole. They were proven wrong soon, for the March 22 election had painted a different political picture in Kosova.

There have been moves towards the formation of a broad-based Kosova Government (an 'all-party executive', in the views of others), whose responsibilities would include also negotiations with Belgrade on the status of Kosova.

[04] Many Burned and Damaged Villages, Five More Dead Reported

Malisheva, 45 km south-west of Prishtina, was for weeks dubbed the 'stronghold' of the U^K.

The Serb forces overrun it, turning tens of thousands of Albanians into refugees.

The LDK Information Commission in Malisheva said today entire villages have been burned and damaged by Serb bombardment in a wide are in central Kosova. Unharvested wheatfields have been set ablaze, gas stations along roads too.

LDK sources said during the Serb shelling of Bubavec village two days ago, two Albanians, aged 60 and 80, respectively, were killed.

In Astrazub village Dul Morina, in his mid-fifties, and Muharrem Hoxha (24), resident of Dushanova, a visitor there, have been killed. Mufail Morina (22) was wounded in Astrazub. There are killed people in the village of Drenoc, sources said.

A 12-year old Albanian boy, Jashar Pa^arizi, was killed in his native village of Dragobil, local LDK sources learned today.

Mourners had to venture and bury him although Serb gunfire, including artillery, was raging today, they said.

Six Serb shells landed in the village of Shkoz&, wounding the 18- year-old girl, Shpres& Byty^i.

Around 80 percent of the population of the municipality of Malisheva has been displaced in the wake of Serb crackdown early this week. The population there had been swelled with tens of thousands of Albanians uprooted from other parts of Kosova.

For three days now, that have spent the night in the open sky.

Serb artillery has been pounding villages in two directions: from Malisheva to Rahovec, and from Malisheva to Duh&l, local LDK sources said.

Serb forces which have overrun Malisheva and been attacking Albanian villages have engaged in looting and destruction of Albanian property in the region.

[05] Serb Forces Pound Rahovec Villages, Loot Albanian Homes

The villages of Drenoc, Pastasell& and Senoc have been particularly targeted by the Serbs lately, sources in the area said. Tens of high- caliber shells landed in these three villages today morning alone.

A resident of Drenoc village told the KIC that a local villager, Idriz Gashi (60), was killed on Wednesday. Many others were reportedly wounded. Over 3000 people have fled the villages Drenoc, Pastasell& and Senoc in the past few days, he said.

The Drenoc villager said the fleeing population is vulnerable, lacking food and medication. They have been sheltered in nearby houses, most of them sleeping in the open sky.

Meanwhile, sources in Rahovec said Serb troops have continued looting and smashing property in abandoned Albanian houses in the town.

[06] Serb Infantry Set Albanian Houses in Fire in Suhareka

The LDK chapter in Suhareka said a Serb convoy driving along the area pounded indiscriminately the outlying hamlets. A large number of Serb shells landed in the villages of Bellanic&, Teme^in& and Bllac&, causing immense damage to the local farmhouses.

Serb infantry backed up by tanks and armored vehicles topping large machine guns advanced in the Bllaca village, setting ablaze houses, farms, barns and wheatfields, witnesses said. Smoke billowing from several places in the village could be seen this morning there too.

The fleeing population has been scattered in the area, most of them living in the open sky for days now.

On behalf of the population of Suhareka municipality, the local LDK chapter repeated today appeals to the world humanitarian organizations to assist urgently the population in desperate need for food and medical supplies.

There are many wounded, sick and weak, including children and old people living in terrible conditions, the LDK said.

An 18-year-old, Flamur P&rteshi from Duhla village, killed by the Serb forces earlier this week, was buried yesterday in the local cemetery of Semetishte village.

[07] Serb Army Lays Landmines on Kosova Macedonia Border Zone

Witnesses have told the LDK chapter in Ka^anik, a town in south- east Kosova, that Serb soldiers have been lately planting mines along the border zone with FYROM, in the slopes of the Sharr Mountains from Luboteni to Han i Elezit ('General Jankovic').

Yugoslav army authorities have warned residents of the Gllobo^ic& village for caution in moving near the border zone. Three cows have already been killed and some 20 others wounded by land-mines near the village recently.

The local population near the border zone has been increasingly apprehensive over the stepped up presence of Serb forces in the area. Harvesting over 100 hectares of wheatfields near the border zone in the Ka^anik municipality has become virtually impossible, the local LDK chapter said.

[08] Serb Gangs Terrorize Albanian Citizens in Peja

The LDK Information Commission in Peja, the second biggest town in western Kosova, said the local Albanian population has been targeted by both Serb police and gangs of armed civilians.

People get harassed and detained and kidnaped in the streets and their homes, they have their homes raided, property looted and destroyed, and are permanently threatened with killing and bombardment of their houses.

Streets of Peja are virtually deserted both during the nights and days. One sees Serb troops and gangs of armed Serb civilians terrorizing the few Albanians who venture out to get the essential supplies, the LDK said.

On 24 and 25 July, six unidentified human bodies were buried in the Peja cemeteries, taken earlier to the town morgue by the Serb forces.

The killing of Bakir Gjuka and Adem Gjuka in the evening of 23 July has never been solved, which is but additional proof that the Serb regime is adamant on planting fear and uncertainty, said the LDK Commission. Shooting in the air from all kinds of firearms in the nights is only part of such a campaign.

Three is a virtual, undeclared dusk-to-dawn curfew in Peja for weeks now. Those who dare go out in the evening will most certainly be halted and maltreated by Serb police patrols or paramilitaries, patrolling the street of the town likewise.

A notorious Serb gang, known by the local population in Peja as "the Gang Sanipuric", has been involved in a campaign of brutalities. Armed members of this gang intrude into the yards and break into the homes of Albanians, plunder valuables at gunpoint, bully and beat family members and smash up household property.

In one such case, an Albanian family, Zekaj, was robbed off and had property destroyed estimated to over DM 40.000 DM.

Dozens of thousands of local Albanians as well as those who had from war- torn areas sheltered earlier in Peja have been fleeing the town, most of them heading for Montenegro.

Political parties and human right groups in Peja say that at least 12.000 Albanians have fled the "Dardania" suburb since 6 July.

Serb Troops Bombard Mitrovica Villages Overnight PRISHTINA, July 30 (KIC) - The Serb forces pounded for three hours last night, 23:OO through 2 a.m the villages of Shala a Bajgor&s region, in the Mitrovica municipality.

Serb shells landed in the mining town of Stant&rg and the villages of Rahov&, Mazhiq, Kutllofc, Rashan, and Tuneli i Par&, local LDK sources said.

No word about possible casualties.

The LDK chapter in Mitrovica said fresh Serb police and army troop have arrived from Serbia in the town today. At least 14 busloads of Serb troops drove along the town early in the afternoon today moving in the direction of Skenderaj.

[09] Albanian Shepherd with His Throat Slit

Witnesses said the late Albanian was slit in his neck.

The LDK chapter in Istog quoted the family members of the Ram& Gashi as saying that he had left home yesterday morning to herd his cattle at his shepherd's alpine summer hut.

[10] Over 140 Albanians Face Serb Charges for Support and Affiliation with U^K

The Serb press cited the office of the Serb public prosecutor in Prizren as saying that criminal investigations have been many Albanians from Rahovec, Suhareka Prizren and e Malisheva, charging them for membership with the Liberation Army of Kosova (U^K).

The Serb media said as many as investigations have been launched for 140 failing to say whether they are in pre-trial detention.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Serb-run Public Prosecutor in Peja said it has charged two Albanians for criminal activities, i.e. support for the U^K.

Met& Ademaj has been accused for having allegedly delivered 14 tons of petrol to the U^K, whereas Reshat Nurboja, as a member of an aid organization, the Emergency Council of Kosova, had delivered medication to the U^K.

[11] Serb Military Conduct Drill in Village of Podujeva

A dozen tanks were involve in the military drill, the LDK chapter in Podujeva said.

The gunfire and movement of the troops and equipment caused panic in the community, 99 percent Albanian.

Most of the Serb military and police re-enforcement are brought into Kosova via Podujeva.

Some 30 APCs full of Serb soldiers drove through Podujeva, heading to Prishtina at eight o'clock in the morning today, LDK sources said.

A couple of hours later, two busloads of policemen travelled the same road.

Kosova Information Center

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