Kosova Crisis Center

Kosova Crisis Center

Updated at 11:35 PM on March 29, 1999

Sniper Fire Kills a Woman on Her Way to Get Food For Her Family in Prishtina

Prishtina, March 30, 1999 (Eywitness Report) - Yesterday, while crossing the street "Robert Gajdiku" in the Mahalla e Muhaxhereve (near the WWII memorial), a woman was shot dead by a serb police patrol. She was crossing the street to go and get some food for her family from her neighbor's house across the street. This was confirmed by my parents who have seen her body rot for a day now. This was confirmed today, through a phone call. The woman's body is still there. The family can not go and get the body because Serb patrols appear often with machine guns in ready-to-shoot postions. They are afraid to risk their own lives in order to retreive the body of their family member. (K.S.)

A letter from Prishtina

Bombs from the Sky and Knocks on the Door: Waiting in the Dark in Pristina, By an IWPR Correspondent in Pristina.

The planes flew really low last night, and for every one, anti-aircraft fire responded from the ground, shooting into the sky. On the streets, could hear lots of shouting: cursing at Albanians, NATO, America, Britain, Clinton, Blair, Muslims, Turks-everyone who doesn't speak Serbian. It was around 10:00 PM when I heard sounds of boots running up the stairs of the building where I stayed last night. (I haven't slept at home for a week.) Then I heard hard knocking on a neighbouring door. "That's it," I thought, "they've arrived." Still, I was amazed how you really calm down when the danger comes that close. I have always been scared to death whenever I see a policemen or anyone carrying a gun (though nowadays there's a difference: Serbs only carry big machine guns).

But this night it was completely different. I was cool. I was waiting and thinking: "The worst thing they can do is kill me, so nothing can surprise me." I made a decision: "I won't try to hide my identity or my mother tongue," Albanian of course. This calm thinking at such a moment took me by complete surprise. Luckily, I then heard the running again, but now heading downstairs, and no one knocked on my door. But I just had to know what was going on, so I looked outside the door. It was a guy I have spoken to before. I met him on the street a week ago, and we passed a few words about the political situation (what else). We were speaking in Serbian, and he seemed very open-minded, very "normal." And I was glad to think, as I always try, that I can't condemn a whole nation because of the government's wrong politics. There are decent people among them. Or so I thought until Wednesday. Now he was wearing a strange uniform-neither police nor military-carrying weapons and heading out. The knock was his "friend" coming in a rush, and in the same clothes and gear, to get him. Off they went, no doubt to try to kill "at least" one Albanian or to burn any house.

And for the next day I have to find another place to sleep, because I wouldn't want to run into him again now. Until few days ago, I felt very sorry for the Albanian people suffering in the villages and all they were going through. I don't anymore. Now, I fight for my own survival. I try to stay alive and as normal as I can, though it's difficult. This morning, I almost collapsed out of breath while running towards my house to see if my parents are still OK. There's no phone, so every time I go to spend a night somewhere else, I kiss my mother and my father, and have the terrible feeling that I won't see them anymore. Yesterday I passed by my favourite cafe, where I used to meet my friends every day. For years, we met there, chatted, found each other. We were so close that if you missed an afternoon, everyone notice, and wondered where you'd gone.

Now it is all destroyed, even the chairs were taken, and it doesn't look like my cafe at all. Inside five policemen were getting drunk on whisky in the middle of the mess they probably made. Maybe it seems ridiculous to think about this cafe now, but not for me. Too many memories, too many friends. God knows when we will gather again, and who will be absent at that time. How many of us are missing? There is simply no way to find out. Telephones in Albanian houses are cut off, and the whole town is cut to pieces by police and armed civilians. No one can communicate, no one can move. For now, only names go through my mind. I try to remember faces but I cannot. The only faces I can remember now are the bad faces I see in the streets.

As for the NATO planes, we wanted them so badly. We protested for them last year. I never dreamed that the sound of them could horrify me so much. Not because they are doing something wrong, on the contrary, but because I am aware of the consequences on the ground, and that there will be more killings. Still for the first time last night I felt happy. The "MUP building (Ministry of the Interior) in the centre of town was completely destroyed. I saw it getting burned, and proudly stayed at the window watching. Now only ashes remain where before every day the huge armoured police vehicles would begin their tours. At least something of "theirs" has been destroyed and people can finally see it. The big mushroom that lit the dark night looked so beautiful, and when we saw the huge ugly building burning, we didn't care so much about the consequences.

At last there was something good in all this tragedy that won't end so soon. The windows in surrounding apartments were broken because of the blast, but no matter. We just hope that it will go on, and that NATO planes will fly even lower tonight. But how quickly day goes now! My friends used to call me "Nighthawk", because I adored the night and I adored waiting for the dawn. Night was my time, but now I hate it. I will have to leave my home soon, to hide in some other place. To avoid any more knocks. I will take my blanket, stay awake the whole night, and listen to the sounds of planes, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns, and shouting. It seems to me that every shot comes from the direction of my parents' house, and it fills me with a fear that is killing.The electricity shuts off about 6 PM and it is not so smart to light a candle, because that will just show that someone is inside. So everyone stays in the dark, waiting. This dispatch is from the Balkan Crisis Reports of the Institute for War. The author's name is withheld to protect from reprisals.

Terror and massacre in Gjakova, over 80 people killed; the humanitarian catastrophe has happened.

Gjakovë, March 29th (Kosovapress) Unseen terror and massacre in the city of Gjakova has happened few days ago and is going to happen again. More than 80 people are reported to be killed in Teqe te Gjakoves. In the new part of the city there are 6 persons killed, in Ura e Kariçit one person whose name is Selami Grezda is found dead. Qarshia e vjeter, is totally burnt up to Ura e Begut. All the quarters of the green market and of clothes market are burnt. There are daily shots from the sharpshooters positioned in the hill of Çabrati and in the upper floors of the buildings. All the shops and stores of the albanians have been looted and burnt from the serb terrorists. There are many houses burnt in the quarters near hospitals. The humanitarian catastrophe has actually happened in Gjakova. People have nothing to eat.

Some names of the killed people in the Drenica Zone are confirmed

Drenicë, March 29th (Kosovapress) The clashes and the sebian offensive, is going on in the Drenica Zone. In the places where serbian forces have reached to enter, everything is set on fire. Uo to now, we have informations about 30 killed people in this region.But we could learn the names of the dead people only for some of them; Muezzin-Mulla Hajdini from Rezalla is killed in Skënderaj, Qamil Behrami from Klinë,is killed in Klinë together with Sali Ademin from Klina e Ulët Between the two villages of Klinës and Klinës së Ulët,there are two unidentified massacred cadavers.It is known that these are cadavers of a 45 old woman and the other is young man. In the village of Polac,inside in their houses are killed; Mahmut Veliqi, Hajzer Veliqi, Avdullah Veliqi, Isuf Veliqi, Sherif Muqolli is killed in his house in Baks.Inë Beqiq,there are seven people killed but we don`t know about their names yet. In the village of Prelloc, Ali Dibrani, is killed. In Gllogoc, Vesel Dervishi,from Pokleku, is killed. While in Dobroshec, Islam Spahiu, Emin Mustafa, Ilir Ademi,from the village of Qirez.

Terrible conditions after the exodus from Mitrovica regions

Drenicë, March 29th (Kosovapress) The condition is very dramatic particulary in the village Tushilë where are placed over than 30 thousands civilians, in the mountains of Deviqit,where hundreds of people are supposed to be killed and massacred, because the population has attempt to cross through this mountains.Today a new wave of the fled people of Mitrovicës, has come in the Drenica regions. In flames of the fire ,today are villages of Rezallë, Likoc, Açarevë, Abri, Gllanasellë, Domanek and other villages. The humanitarian condition is catastrophice.Witnesses who have come from the regions of Mitrovica, speak about terror made in those regions.In Gllanasellë, there is an old man being massacred,but it is impossibile to get his body because serbian forces are still theree.Some informations from Gllogoc and Skënderaj, tells for many people being killed and captured in these two cities of Drenica. In Gllogoc, Muhamet Bajraktari is said to be killed.

Already the whole city of Peja is burnt

Pejë, March 29th (Kosovapress) Serbian terrorist barbary has destroyed already everything in the city of Peja. Terrorists have burnt completely these quarters:Kapishnicë, Karagaç, Zatra, the quarter nearby bus station, then the quarter nearby economic school.Serbian barbars have burnt partly the quarter of Dardania, Katundin e ri,Troboviçin, Asllan Çeshme, and the quarter of Buhovci. Over than 90 percent of Peja population has been forced by serbian military-police to leave the city. Some of them are sent to Monte Negro, some in Albania, while some others have reached to go in the areas under KLA contro. The conditions of the displaced population is catastrophice.

10 - 12 thousands displaced people are captured by serbian forces

Gllogoc, March 29th (Kosovapress) Today, about 14.oo o`clock has intervent in the valley which lies between villages of Tëdevc and Vuçk in the commune of Gllogoc, in the place, where were gathered peoples of the villages of Negroci, Vuçaku, Tërdeci, Baica, Obria, Golluboci, Ceroviku,etc. During this action, the sebian police has set to fire all tractors and other carts, but what is more important is that they set fire to all prime necessities articles, food and clothes. After this, they gathered all of them and they put it in front of tanks and they direct them to Terdec. It is esstimated that, there might be over than 10-12 thousands people fled, which now are in the hands of serbian military-police. There are suspections that, in the factory of Feronikel, a gig part of fled people are being kept as hostages. It is possible, that the whole quarter of Qorraj, burnt yesterday, is placed in this fatal factory. While, today Korrotica e Poshtme is set on fire too.

Albanian gathering in support of NATO in New York

Today, more than 4000 Albanians gathered in front of the United Nations in New York in support of NATO mission in Yugoslavia. Afterwards the marched towards the Serbian Mission to the UN on 5th Avenue. The whole demonstration lasted for five hours. Few of the slogans that could be seen were: "Support NATO," "Clinton is our Schindler," "Milosevic, One Way Ticket to Hague," "Albright, Ambassador of Peace," "Milosevic, Taste Your Own Medicine," "NATO, Happy 50th," "Cold War is Over, Russia Stay Away," "Remember Vukowar, Remember Srebrenica, Remember Drenica," "God Bless American Pilots," "Serbia, Smile, You're on Candid Camera," "1991-Slovenia, 1991-Croatia, 1992-Bosnia, 1998-Kosova - Serbia, What's Next?"