Kosova Daily Report #1517, 98-08-10
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - The President of the Republic of Kosova, Ibrahim
Rugova, received today in Prishtina Mr. Christopher Hill, the U.S.
Ambassador to Shkup (FRYOM), and an intermediator between Prishtina and
Belgrade on the Kosova issue.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Heavy fighting between Serb military/police
forces and local Albanians was reported last night and today (Monday)
morning in the villages straddling the Gjakova- De^an area.
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
High casualty toll is feared inside a wide area under constant Serb
artillery fire PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Several villages in the
municipality of De^an, western Kosova, came under renewed Serb artillery
fire since ea2rly in the morning today (Monday).
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Three Albanians were killed today by Serb police
in the village of Gabrric&, municipality of Ka^anik, in south-eastern
Kosova, local sources said.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Serbs, ordinary citizens, gangs and their police,
demonstrated last night who has and who uses weapons in the Kosova
capital.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Around noon today (Monday), Serb forces were
shooting in the direction of the Gryka e Carralev&s (the Carralev& mountain
pass), the LDK Information Commission in Shtime reported.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Serbian military and police forces have continued
their systematic campaign of destruction and burning of Albanian houses in
the villages of the municipality of Klina, the LDK Information Commission
reported.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Gunfire was reported today morning around the
village of Duraj in the municipality of Ka^anik, 55 km south of Prishtina.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - A 35-year-old Albanian, Xhemail Kryeziu, was shot
dead at his home in Suhareka last night.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Over 400 people have been reported holed up
inside a deadly siege for a week now in Llausha village of Skenderaj
('Srbica').
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Top leaders of Students Independent Union of the
Prizren-based "Xhevded Doda" teachers training college will be brought
before the Serb-run District Court the town on Tuesday, the LDK Information
Commission in Prizren reported.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Half a dozen LDK activists and leaders of the
local educational authorities in Ka^anik have been reported detained by the
Serb police today. Sources in the town said heavy Serb policemen were
involved in raiding their houses since early in the morning.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - Last night and early in the morning today, armed
Serbs in the villages of Prilluzh& and Plemetin opened fire in the
direction of Albanian-inhabited villages of Gllavotin, Bivolak, Strofc and
Be^uk, the LDK Information Commission in Vushtrri ('Vucitrn') reported.
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
PRISHTINA, Aug 10 (KIC) - The flat of Mr. Kol& M. Berisha, vice- chairman
of the Democratic League of Kosova (LDK), was broken into yesterday
afternoon in the town of 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.
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