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Kosova Daily Report #1550, 98-09-12
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1550
Prishtina, 12 September 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Serb Forces Shell Two Villages in Mitrovica
[02] Serb Troops Resume Attacks against Drenica Villages
[03] Albanian Refugees from Drenica Swell further Mitrovica Population
[04] Serb Police Set Three Hours Deadline to IDP's to Leave Isniq Village
[05] Over 3000 Albanians Trapped in Mountains Heading for Montenegro,
Encircled by Special Security Units
[06] Refugees Heading for Plava, Turned Back by Serbs, Reach Drelaj
(Rugova)
[07] Critical Security and Humanitarian Situation in Prizren
[08] Serb Military Withdrew from a Position in Shtime
[09] Serb Civilian Attacks Albanian Couple in the Street
[01] Serb Forces Shell Two Villages in Mitrovica
Four Albanians taken off a bus, illtreated for hours PRISHTINA, Sept 12
(KIC) - Around 22:00 hrs on Friday, Serbian military and police troops
stationed at Kutllovc and Stan T&rg ('Stari Trg') shelled the villages of
Melenic&a and Mazhiq and the "Trep^a" neighborhood in Stan t&rg, LDK
sources in Mitrovica reported.
Considerable material damage was reported, but there has been no word on
possible casualties yet.
Meanwhile, sources said four Albanians were taken off a bus near Zubin
Potok on Thursday, held in police custody for hours and ill- treated on
obscure charges.
Brothers Ali, Ymer and Sulltan Desku, form Si^eva village of Klina, and
Ejup Zejnullahu, resident of Llausha village of Skenderaj, were on a bus
commuting between Mitrovica and Ulqin (Montenegro), when they were stopped
and taken to a police station in Mitrovica. The Desku brothers were
released after seven hours in custory, whereas Ejup Zejnullahu was held for
27 hours in detention.
[02] Serb Troops Resume Attacks against Drenica Villages
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - A Serb forces' attack, launched Friday morning
against a number of villages of Drenica, Skenderaj ('Srbica') municipality,
has continued today morning, local sources reported. Serb operations have
been focussed on the Rezalla village, targeting also the villages of
Plluzhin&, Tic&, Mak&rmal, Obri and A^arev&.
LDK activists in the area said heavy Serb troops backed by 58 tanks, 38
trucks and other combat equipment were deployed in the Llausha village
today morning, from where they mounted fierce attacks against Albanian
settlements. The outlying villages are being pounded with artillery guns
and ground-to-ground missiles, Fadil Ymeri, head of the local LDK
information commission in Qirez told the KIC this morning.
The local Chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and
Freedoms (CHDRF) in Skenderaj said that 2 Albanians were killed and six
others wounded in Rezalla village yesterday.
Meanwhile, LDK sources in Skenderaj confirmed that the casualty- toll in
the village yesterday was higher: 3 fatalities and 16 wounded.
Leutrim Ahmeti (9), Xuf& Ahmeti (8) and Ram& Ahmeti (42) died during the
Serb bombardment, while the following persons were wounded yestrday: two
women of the same name Fatmire Ahmeti (18) and Fatmire Ahmeti (35), Gjyle
Raci (f, 30), Brahim Ahmeti (29), Makfirete Ahmetin (f. 14), Bajram Ahmeti
(11), Shpresa Ahmeti (f.
9), Naser Gashi (15), Feti Musliu (22), Nuredin Bacaj (39), Xheladin
Behrami (53), Rifat Smakiqi (34), Arben Makolli (24), Tahir Lladrovci (22),
Jahir D&rguti (44) and Sk&nder Ahmeti (39).
Scores of farmhouses in Rrezalla and other villages were badly damaged or
burned to the ground, witnesses said.
There has been ne immediate word on possible casualties yet.
Over 10.000 people from the villages that came under Serb troops' attack
were reported on the move since Friday morning. Sources in the neighboring
Vushtrri ('Vucitrn') said thousands of displaced Albanians from Drenica
arrived during the last night in the villages of this municipality, already
swelled by large numbers of others who had sought refuge there in the past
months. Around 30.000 have been sheltered in the town of Vushtrri alone,
local LDK chapter said.
[03] Albanian Refugees from Drenica Swell further Mitrovica Population
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - The Albanian population driven out from their
villages in Skenderaj (Srbica), the region of Drenica, in the wake of the
recent Serb attacks there have been arriving in Mitrovica, further swelling
the population of the northern town, LDK sources said.
Local political and humanitarian activists have been working hard to help
the new arrivals.
Meanwhile, a lorryload of domestic appliances and other looted commodities
arrived in Mitrovica from Skenderaj Friday evening, LDK sources said.
Such lorries are generally driven by Serb policemen and carry also home
furniture and agricultural implements, as well as cattle looted in the
Albanian villages, they added.
[04] Serb Police Set Three Hours Deadline to IDP's to Leave Isniq Village
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - Thousands of internally displaced Albanians have
been reported trapped still today in the Isniq village of De^an, encircled
by heavy Serb troops. Estimates by local activist earlier last week said
over 40.000 were camping out in Isniq.
Sources told the KIC that the Serb police has been separating men from
their families, either keeping them in separated clusters or taking them
away to unknown places.
The LDK chapter in De^an said the Serb forces have ordered today all the
people who are not residents of Isniq to leave the village immediately. The
Albanians have been given a 3-hour-deadline to leave or force would be used
to have them go.
The LDK chapter said the villages of Prapa^an, Kryshec and Lluk& were
pounded with artillery fire for several hours on Friday. Serb troops
entered these villages subsequently, looting and destroying dozens of
farmhouses.
[05] Over 3000 Albanians Trapped in Mountains Heading for Montenegro,
Encircled by Special Security Units
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - At least 3000 Albanian residents of the De^an
area have been trapped in the mountains between Kosova and Montenegro since
last evening, tightly encircled by heavy Serb Montenegrin forces.
The Albanians who have been trekking for Plav& region of Montenegro were
halted Friday afternoon by the Serb police and Yugoslav army troops at a
location called Bogiqe.
After the Serb troops sealed off the border with Albania, people driven
from western Kosova have seen Montenegro as the only place of relative
safety.
Between 5,000 and 7,000 - among whom women, children, sick and wounded -
were reported travelling via the Bjeshk&t e Nemuna mountains on Friday.
The local emergency organizations in the town of Plava (Montenegro) said
the Montenegrin Government had ordered to prevent all Kosovar refugees from
entering the republic since yesterday. Special police and army units which
were deployed in the mountains have even used brutal force against the
Albanians who attempted to proceed for Plava.
Sources in Plava said the refugees have been in a desperate situation, with
many sick amongst them and with no food. Residents of Plava have provided
some breakfast for them today.
Activists of the local emergency council in Plav& repeated today calls
addressed to international humanitarian agencies to urgently intervene so
as to rescue these hapless refugees.
[06] Refugees Heading for Plava, Turned Back by Serbs, Reach Drelaj
(Rugova)
Serb forces ambush, fire upon refugees PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - Thousands
of Kosovar Albanians who had been trying to cross to Plava (Montenegro)
have been travelling back to Kosovar territory, after being turned back by
Serb troops yesterday.
A source from the mountainous western Kosovar region of Rugova told the KIC
between 2,000 and 3,000 of them arrived in the village of Drelaj (Rugova)
by lunch-time today, whereas around 1,000 have proceeded to Rozhaje
(Montenegro).
The situation of the refugees is appalling, the source told the KIC by
phone, and appealed to international organizations to step in with food and
medical supplies.
A resident of Rugova region told the KIC by phone Serb forces had opened
fire from an ambush on the refugee crowd, adding that killed and wounded
were feared in the incident. He quoted one of the wounded as saying the
ambush had been set by Serbs at a location called Stanet e Roshkodolit (the
Roshkodol alpine summer huts).
[07] Critical Security and Humanitarian Situation in Prizren
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - Activists in Prizren described the situation in
the area today as extremely difficult in the wake of the large-scale Serb
offensive since the beginning of September.
Local sources in Prizren said between 40 and 50 Albanians were killed and
many others wounded in the area last week alone.
Many Albanians have been held in Serb custody for days, LDK chapter in town
said.
Entire Albanian communities have been threatened with further reprisals by
Serb troops unless they surrendered weapons they allegedly possessed. Serb
troops drove yesterday the main squares of the village of X&rx&, Celin&,
Krush e Madhe, Krush& e Vog&l, Piran&, Landovic& and Dushanov& calling
through a megaphone on the Albanians to give in arms or risk brutal
attacks.
The Albanian-run municipal emergency council in Prizren said it has
registered over 50,000 displaced persons housed in the town. It appealed to
international aid organizations to assist the refugees with food, medical
and winterization items.
[08] Serb Military Withdrew from a Position in Shtime
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - Around 11:30 hrs today (Saturday), Serb military
forces withdrew from a location called Pishnajat e Shtimes (the Shtime pine
forests), which has been their base in the past three months.
From this base, Serb troops shelled and destroyed 11 villages of the small
municipality of Shtime, LDK sources said.
The convoy of withdrawing troops and combat equipment headed in the
direction of Ferizaj ('Urosevac').
Meanwhile, a convoy of Serb forces coming from Prishtina drove through
Shtime town and headed for Prizren.
The LDK chapter in Shtime said the situation in the town was very tense
today. The funeral of a Serb policeman, killed yesterday near the village
of Koshare in Ferizaj, took place in Shtime today.
The Shtime-Prizren roadway was closed for traffic for a period of time.
Police arrested four citizens, random passers-by, and ill-treated several
others in Shtime today, LDK sources said.
[09] Serb Civilian Attacks Albanian Couple in the Street
PRISHTINA, Sept 12 (KIC) - An Albanian, Milaim Abazi, resident of Gjylekar
village of Vitia, received firearm wounds yesterday when attacked by a Serb
in a neighboring village of Verboc.
Witnesses said Milaim Abazi and his wife were driving on a tractor through
Verboc village when attacked by a Serb civilian, who opened unprovoked fire
from his automatic gun on the Albanian couple.
In addition, Milaim Abazi was detained by Serb police later in the day. He
was released after having been interrogated for a couple of hours.
Sources in Vitia could not confirm if the Serb who attacked the couple was
detained or even interrogated by police.
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