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Kosova News 1998
Chronicle of the week 6-12 Sep.

6 September, 1998

Today we learn the the names of the 11 Albanians killed by Serb forces in the villages of Dejna and Polluzha of the municipality of Rahovec: the killed in Dejna are ARBEN BYTYCI (20M), his sister LEONORA BYTYCI (17F), SHPRESA BYTYCI (30F), BAHRIE BYTYCI (10F), SEVDIJE HOTI (30F) together with her 3 year-old son, ELMAZE BYTYCI (7F), NENKADIZE BYTYCI (20F), and in Polluzha village SHANI HOTI (45M), the wife(65) of HAMEZ BAJRAKTARI and AHMET KABASHI (2M). Hundreds of houses of family compounds in these two villages have been burnt and many family members wounded: DESTAN BYTYCI (33M), HADI BYTYCI (27M), RUZHDI BYTYCI (25M), SULLTANE BYTYCI (47F), VALBONE BYTYCI (9F), IGBALLE BYTYCI (19F), NAIM BYTYCI (16M), LUAN BYTYCI (24M), FATMIR BYTYCI (17M), LATIF BYTYCI (6M), JETON BYTYCI (15M), MIRJETA BYTYCI (2F), ARBEN KRASNIQI (20M), NEXHMEDIN BYTYCI (60M), MERSIA BYTYCI and her 5-year-old son, MANUSH BYTYCI (34M), BEDRUSH BYTYCI (28M), EKREM BYTYCI (13M), ALBERT BYTYCI (6M) and ASTRIT BYTYCI (13M), LEONORA KRASNIQI (18F).

Hundreds of Albanians are rounded up by Serb police. At least 400 hundred of them from the villages of Volljake, Rud, Sferke, etc. were shown on Serb TV. Old man SULEJMAN SULEJMANI (70) who was arrested with those men, testified after being released about the happening in Panorc village: "When we got out in the courtyard, Serb troops ordered us to sit on the ground our hands behind our heads, while Serb TV was shooting all the scene...and after the conclusion of the tape, we were ordered to get back inside the elementary school". Before being released, all the arrested were ordered to pose with the poster of the Socialist Party of Serbia, "Serb forces made us raise three fingers (NATIONALIST SYMBOL OF SERBS) and took photoes of us" said the old man. Women and children were forcefully divided from men. The other witness says "Everyone was terrified. Women were weeping and fainting and calling out for their husbands and sons. We could see houses in Rude village burning. We thought we would die. Then the police ordered the women and children and old people into Panorc village"; 150 Albanian detainees of this group were released later, others still remain detained.

NEZRIE HOTI (6F) and ISMET RAMA (14M) were wounded during the attack on their village of Ratkoc, municipality of Gjakove. Meanwhile the mutilated body of ALI KALIMASHI (37M) was found in the village of Kodrali, but HALIL HAXHI ALIA, also native of this village is gone missing. Situation in Gjakova area is catastrophic, thousands of people are living rough in the open and they are exposed to hunger and epidemics.

In Lipjan area, BUJAR SHALA (8 months boy)from Shala village died out dehydration in Sllovia village, where his parents refuted after the attacks on their village.

7 September, 1998

Serb terror is continuing in Drini river area, South-West of Kosova. Five old people were killed. The drama on villages along the river is terrifying, because vellages are being burnt, inhabitants are being forced leave their settlements. Besides the twenty wounded, DRITA MORINA and HAJRIJE MORINA, women, were wounded in their home; these women returned home and were wounded from a bomb Serb forces planted in the wood stove; the bomb exploded when the two women started a fire, unaware of it, to prepare food for their relatives who fled in the mountains. Reports say that in the village Palluzhe, Serb police ordered Albanian men and women were ordered by serb police take off their clothes, remaining only in underwear. 27 men were sent to Prizren unclothed and humiliated.

Killed Albanians are still lying unburied in Suhareka area, which is packed with Serb troops. Bodies of 6 Albanians still remain unburied in the village of Sllapuzhnik.

The 4000 Albanians living in the open in Gjakova area, displaced from the municipality of Rahovec, in the fields of Marmull village are going through catastrophe. Similar situation is reported in the villages and mountains of the Dushkaje region, in Krelan, Cermjan, Bardhaniq, Zhabel, Gergoc and Jabllanice villages. Meanwhile, Serb police detained over a dozen Albanians in gjakove proper, including SHYQRI BICURRI, MASAR BICURRI, NYSRET TRUPAJ and his brother, SHANI LUZHA, NURI MULLIQI and his son ERENIK MULLIQI. The detained were arrested a day before under the pretext that some children had stoned Serb forces' trucks driving along that part of the town and heading for the combat area, Western of Gjakova, bordering with Albania. Local population was harassed and police search went home-to-home.

The campaign of terror continues in Malisheva area. The humanitarian disaster is looming over the villages of Llapceve, Panorc and Rud, with thousands of people in the hills, risking both freezing and starving. Serb forces entered the Ostrozub village again and the local population who had returned to the village earlier began fleeing again.

VALENTINA MALOKU (F), wounded from firearms, and brought to the Prishtina hospital where she was ill-treated, CDHRF says she died today. Her body remains uncollected at the hospital morgue. Serb police guarded during the whole time the hospital room she was being treated in.

Serb police is carrying out house-to-house raid in Kamenica. After having their houses thoroughly searched, RAMADAN ZUBAKU, ISMET ZUBAKU and JAKUP ZUBAKU were detained, and released later, but ESAT ZUBAKU and SYLEJMAN MORINA are still being held in custody.

Arrestes in Mitrovica area are happening too. AJNISHAHE M. SHALA head of the LDK Women's Forum, was declared detained at a Serb police check-point in Nedakovc village. She was reportedly offended and threatened with liquidation while in custody.

AHMET AHMETI, Education Authority in Shtimje, together with NAZMI SHAHINI were arrested today because of distributing textbooks, as the school year has already started.

8 September, 1998

Shelling of Decan villages is renewed. Serb forces launched a heavily attack on the villages of Carrabreg i Poshtem, Beleg, Kodrali, Irzniq, Pozhar, Gllogjan and the outlying villages until Gramacel. Population started moving again towards mountains and plaines at safer areas. At least two Albanians are reported as killed and 15 others wounded. Serb offensive is using all kinds of weaponry. Husband FETAH LUSH MAZREKAJ (55) and wife HEDIJE MAZREKAJ are killed, and their children LUSH MAZREKAJ and ZYKE MAZREKAJ (F) are wounded at home. The population is encircled by Serb forces, and they cannot run away to safety; their situations is even worsened by the stormy rains. These population of the Decan region is almost 200,000, calls for the international community to do everything in their power come from every Kosova instance.

Reports from the field say that around 50 Albanians were killed since the last weekend. THE CASE OF ABDYL MORINA (70M) SHOULD BE FOCUSED AT, AS HE WAS DROWNED IN THE WATERS OF MIRUSHA WATERFALLS. Daily "Bujku" assesses that at least 26 Albanians, men, women and children were killed during the huge Serb offensive against the Verri area in the Prizren municipality. Meanwhile CDHRF circulates with a list of other 16 Albanians killed in the communities around Rahovec during the past couple of days. Bodies of MUHAMET SHEMSEDINI (23), ZYMRI SHEMSEDINI and SABRI MALIQI were found in the forest of the village Struzhe; they were mutilated. Two Albanians, ARSIM PONIKU (18) and his uncle HASRET PONIKU (36) were executed by police near the town's cemetery of Prizren. BINAK DACAJ and RESHAT DACAJ, twins and FATMIR BOJAXHIU were killed and their bodies are mutilated; they are buried in Prizren.

Serb offensive is renewed in Dushkaje area and Decan area. Convoys of military and police forces are non-stop heading towards these regions. Large number of IDPs from Dushkaje reached Gjakova, swelling the population in the town even more. The tail of the Serb offensive has reached Lugu i Baranit of Peja. For six days now around 500 Albanian civilians, mostly women, children and elderly have found refuge in the local Catholic church at Gllogjan; they are speedily running short of food supplies. The great majority of the population is living rough in the open.

Heavy Serb troops are heading along Prishtina-Peja roadway. There are doubts that these forces are heading towards Lugu i Baranit. Villages Plluzhina and Tica of the Skenderaj municipality are being reportedly shelled several days now. Due to the besieged area, casualties are hard to be reported. Thousands of IDPs swell Pagarusha village of Malisheve due to the renewed attacks against them. The 400 Albanian men taken captive by Serb forces are released, except few of them held in custody. Serb court has brought criminal charge against 72 Albanians in Prizren, referring them as 'terrorists'. 9 September, 1998 Stormy rains are endangering the lives of IDPs wherever they are in Kosova. Those who live in the open, neither have the ground to be resting, nor the sky to be covering. Those who have gone back to the looted, burnt and shelled villages, have houses in walls, or even if any of the platforms have 'resisted' the shelling and burning, rain drops do not let them find a safe corner and not to get wet. Around 70.000 displaced Albanians spent the night in the open, in stormy rain in Decan area. Some 10.000, mainly women, children and elderly have been on the move heading for Strellc mountains, but their condition remains unknown.

CDHRF has identified 843 names of killed Albanians during the past eight months, but many names remain to be identified, as thousands of people are missing, and uncollected bodies of killed people still remain unburied; they might even never be identified.

Bodies of BANUSH MUSTAFA, HAKI MUSTAFA and MUHARREM MUSTAFA, residents of Guri i Kuq have been found near Milesheva. ISUF IDRIZI (70) was slain in his village of Kramnik; his badly mutilated body is still unburied. Serb troops loot and raze Ostrozub village of Malisheva; this is e renewed attack on this village; SYLE MORINA and ISLAM MORINA of this village were killed. Student MUHARREM HOXHA from Dushanove village of Prizren was killed too. Bodies of these three people were exhumed by Serb troops, reason is unknown.

Father HAXHI ALIJA (73) and son HALIL ALIJA were killed on 3 September but found today in Kodralia village of Gjakove. The 12 arrested of this village, ZENEL ALIJA (29), HAJDIN ALIJA (24), RIZA ALIJA (18), ISA ALIJA (28), AGRON ALIJA (14), BEKIM KALIMASHI (17), NASER KALIMASHI (25), ARBEN ALIJA (20), ISMAIL TARAKU (30), GANI CEKU (48) and SELIM CEKU (18) of this village, were taken to the Serb police station virtually nude, reportedly tortured in Gjakove before being transferred to the Peja jail, where they are believed to be held.

North-West of Prishtina is smelling on war. Huge detonations are reported from Shala e Bajgores straddling with the municipality of Mitrovica, Podujeva and Vushtrri. Reports about possible casualties or damage in the villages around are not reported yet.

10 September, 1998

Serb forces prevented from going one delegation of Kosova political parties and humanitarian associations to visit the area of Decan, in Lugu i Baranit, In Gjakove area in Dushkaje region and in Peja area and Klina. People of these region find themselves trapped in the village of Isniq. Some 10.000 others, women, children and elderly spent the night in the open in Strellc mountains. They are without food and other supplies. Some other 4000 IDPs were heading last night i towards the other mountains in reach of a relative safety. Whereabouts and fate is unknown for these people. All Albanians of these regions are in dire condition. While people refuting for a safety, Serb forces started burning Albanian houses in the village of Strellc to terrify them and pressure the villagers handover their weapons. Serb forces sent buses to Isniq village to get the IDPs out, bringing in lorryloads of relief supplies and medical teams. One of the activists, eye-witness to the event is quoted to have been saying "This cynical carnival, as elsewhere in the past days, is duly escorted by the Serb propaganda machinery, whose goal is to portray the Serb occupier humane". The way Serb forces order the relief is: EITHER EAT WHAT I GIVE, OR I SHALL KILL YOU.

Five other bodies found killed days ago are identified as ISUF BERISHA (25) from Polluzha, MARK SOPIANI (42) from Dobidol, HIME KRASNIQI (58), ISMET KRASNIQI (41) and BEQIR KRASNIQI who were first slain and then dumped in a pond at Postosel village of Rahovec. Meanwhile information from the field says that 3 babies died in the past few days in Rahovec area out of lack of medication and poor diet of their mothers.

Police forces have settled in Albanian houses in Suhareka municipality, in the villages of Reshtan, Studencan and Samadraxhe; people are not allowed to go back home. Reports say that villages Semetisht, Pecan and Nishor of Suhareke are 90 per cent destroyed. SOME 20 PREGNANT WOMEN CAMPING OUT NEAR NGUCAT VILLAGE OF SUHAREKE HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN CRITICAL NEED OF MEDICAL ASSITANCE; they have been living in severe circumstances in make-shift plastic sheeting tents.

Unidentified gunmen abducted HETEM KUPINA (51) at Bernica village of Prishtine. Pupils of the local elementary school said the two men were wearing dark glasses, and they had one car with number plates UR 433-70.

11 September, 1998

Serb troops mount heavy attack against Drenica villages of Rrezalle, Tice and Plluzhine of Skenderaj municipality. In Rrezalle village XUFE AHMETI (8F) and LEUTRIM AHMETI. Six other villagers were wounded when their homes were hit artillery shells: BRAHIM AHMETI (1969), BAJRAM AHMETI (1987), MAKFIRE AHMETI (1987F), FATMIRE AHMETI (17F) and TAHIR LLADROFCI (1976). Sources say that two other villages Mekrmal and Obria have come under heavy fire too. Reports about possible casualties are not available. At least 15.000 people from the villages under attacks have been reported on the move. Thousands of Albanian residents of the Decan area, driven from their homes in the recent Serb offensive have in the past three days been tracking rugged terrain heading for Plave of Montenegro. They were stopped and turned back by the Montenegrin police authorities. Women, children, sick and wounded are in terrible situation. Some 8.500 people who try to refute there, will not be accepted. The terrain is very impossible to have access of any kind of relief due to the high mountains, relief can only be sent through helicopters. Serb troops spray with machinegun fire Albanian communities in Malisheva. Looted commodities of the houses around Ostrozub are being loaded on truck and sent to Rahovec.

DINE CEKAJ (47) teacher in Skivjan village of Gjakova was killed; details are not known. Police is carrying house-to-house raid in Hani i Elezit, South of Kosova, bordering with Macedonia. Houses that were thoroughly searched are of FAIK BRAVA, NAFI BRAVA, SAMI BRAVA, RAMADAN BELA, ZELQIF LACI, ... Family members in all raided houses were reportedly subjected to brutal ill-treatment.

12 September, 1998

Two villages of Mitrovice, Kutllovc and Stan Terg have been shelled. Considerable material damage is reported.

Brothers ALI, YMER and SULLTAN DESKU from Siceva village of Kline, and EJUP ZEJNULLAHU from Llausha village of Skenderaj were on bus between the highway Mitrovica-Ulqin (Montenegro) when police arrested them. Desku brothers were released after 7 hours in custody, but Ejup Zejnullahu was held for 27 hours in detention.

Villages of Rrezalle, Acareve, Obri, Makermal, Tice and Plluzhine are consequently targeted by Serb forces. This is a fierce attack against Albanian settlements. RAME AHMETI (42) died during the Serb bombardment, while two women called as FATMIRE AHMETI, one 18 and the other 35 were wounded, as well as GJYLE RRACI (30F), BRAHIM AHMETI (29M), MAKFIRETE AHMETI (14F), BAJRAM AHMETI (11), SHPRESA AHMETI (9F), NASER AHMETI (15), FETI MUSLIU (22), NUREDIN BACAJ (39), XHELADIN BEHRAMI (53), RIFAT SMAKIQI (34), ARBEN MAKOLLI (24), TAHIR LLADROVCI (22), JAHIR DERGUTI (44) and SKENDER AHMETI (39). Scores of farmhouses in rrezalle and other villages are badly damaged or burnt to the ground. Over 10.000 people are on the move to safety. IDPs from drenica are swelling further the Mitrovica population.

SERB POLICE SET THREE HOURS DEADLINE TO IDPs TO LEAVE ISNIQ VILLAGE. THOUSANDS OF ALBANIANS HAVE BEEN REPORTED AS TRAPPED STILL , ENCIRCLED BY HEAVY SERB TROOPS. ESTIMATES SAY THAT OVER 40.000 ARE OUT IN THE OPEN. Meanwhile, Prapacan village and Kryshec and Lluke of Decan were pounded; Serb troops entered these villages subsequently, looting and destroying dozens of farmhouses Over 3000 Albanians are trapped in mountains heading for Montenegro; they encircled by special security units of Montenegro since last evening. Other refugees heading for Plava in montenegro were turned back by Serbs.

Humanitarian situation is critical. Security situation is critical too, due to the large-scale Serb offensive. Many people have been killed during these last two months, and the number of IDPs has rapidly increased, even doubled.

Reported by,
Sevdie Ahmeti

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