Kosova Crisis Center

Kosova Crisis Center

Updated at 5:50 PM on April 5, 1999

Many villages of the Kaçanik commune have been attacked with grenades.
Serbians are hiding the armoured military vehicles; a massacred without-head cadaver has been found.
Grave situation of the displaced people in Rugove
Appeal of the Commande of the Operative Zone of Shala
3 serbian soldiers killed in Dubovcë
Serbian forces are hiding again the heavy armament
The burning of the villages goes on
Serbian forces being retreated because of NATO's air strikes
8 civilians massacred and burnt from the serbian criminals in the village of Sferkë of the commune of Klina
Fierce fights in the villages of Drenica
U.S. Base In Cuba Unready For Refugees
Refugees Still Stuck At Macedonian Border
NATO Powerless To Stop Mass Expulsion From Kosovo

Many villages of the Kaçanik commune have been attacked with grenades.

Kaçanik, April 5th (Kosovapress) Today, since the hour 9, from the serbian place position in Kaçanik të vjetër, the villages of Duraj, Elezaj, Gabricë, Prushaj , Rakaj, Hogjaj have been attacked with grenades. Smoke has been noticed, having thus many houses burnt. The population of these villages have been displaced in the mountains of Sharri; its situation is very grave. Yesterday, from the morgue have been retreated the cadavers of Shefket Halit Demës, Halil Avdullah Sopës and Hysen Gani Tushës, killed several days before from the serbian police in Kaçanik together with many other citizens.

Serbians are hiding the armoured military vehicles; a massacred without-head cadaver has been found.

Podjevë, April 5th (Kosovapress) Today the situation in the region of Llapi seems to be more quiet. Armed confrontations of a low intensity have taken place only in the areas surrounding the villages of Llaushë and Dobratin. The target of the serbian forces is to penetrate up to the mountains of Kaçanoll, which could be a check point for all the region of Llap. Gatherings of serbian forces coming from Serbia can be noticed in Llaushë, meanwhile in Podjevë, the serbian forces are evacuating and hiding the armoured military vehicles.An high officer of the serbian army has arrived today in this town, who is being in charge of the dislocation of the armoured forces. Our sources from Podjeva inform that, today a cadaver without head, massacred some days ago from the serbian forces has been found. The identity has not been determined yet.

Grave situation of the displaced people in Rugove

Rugovë, April 5th (Kosovapress) The situation of the population displaced and concentrated in the mountains of Rugova in very grave. As being informed by th 136th Brigade of KLA, only within 2-3 latest days, in Rugove there are about 2 000 displaced people, coming from the villages of Deqan and Peje where fightings are taking place between KLA and serbian forces. The Brigade and the population of this side are trying to help these displaced people, although the limited possibilities.

Appeal of the Commande of the Operative Zone of Shala

Shalë, April 5th (Kosovapress) We are now in the final stage of the liberation of Kosova, and her independence. The enemy has activated the last phase of the realization of the Sheshel's plan to ethnically cleanse Kosova. Today, is the 12th day since Milosheviç ordered the beginning of this phase. Up ta now, the albanian people of Mitrovica, Vushtrria and environs, have faced the attacks with an extraordinary resistance. Isa Buletin's last will is being saved and we are convinced that it will be saved. During this 12 days, the enemy killed, massacred, broke, humiliated and looted whatever he captured, but without realizing his purpose, because of the strong popular resistance, that faced all of these. The compassionate and heavy strikes of the enemy were faced with a high heroism and dignity by the people of Mitrovica and Vushtrri. In parallel with the special psychological war of the enemy accompanied with terrorist actions such as killings, massacres, looting, violations, burnings, destructions, the enemy is being helped also by the disinformation and the spread of panic, by some weak albanians, which as we know are acting thus in a unaware way. Up to now, the Commande of Operative Zone of Shala is completely convinced that the enemy has not reached its purpose to expel the population of Mitrovica and Vushtrri together with their environs. The displacements have happened in an organizative way, inside the zone, except for a small number that have left Kosova. We are making thus an appeal to the population not to leave the homeland. We are convinced that together we will face the created situation. We have passed through most difficult days, the enemy has actually lost its strength and is going on like this, while we are gathering strength everyday that goes on. The last night attacks of NATO in Mitrovica, are seen to have disordered the enemy. Our ranks seems to be lengthened everyday with 300 volunteers, new recruits. The victory belongs to us, it is said in the Appeal of the Commande of the Operative Zone of Shala, signed by Rrahman Rama, Commander.

3 serbian soldiers killed in Dubovcë

Vushtrri, April 5th (Kosovapress) Today, around the hour 14.00, a special unit of the Operative Zone of Shala, has attacked the serbian position in the village Dubovcë, thus killing 3 serbian soldiers. During the latest offensive, the terrorist serbian forces have created a corridor from Vushtrria, up to Dubivcë of Drenica, commune of Vushtërri, but everyday they are facing the special units of the Operative Zone Of Shale of KLA. The purpose of the serbian forces is to establish a military base in dwellings of Albanians in order to hide the heavy armament from the NATO's air forces.

Serbian forces are hiding again the heavy armament

Mitrovicë, April 5th (Kosovapress)

In the territory covered by the Operative Zone of Shala, the situation of today is more quiet as there have not been open fighting, nether attacks from serbian forces in the dwellings of the albanian. During the previous night, NATO air forces passing by, have bombarded the positions of the serbian forces in Kutllovc and Stantërg. Serbian forces have retreated the heavy military mechanism from these positions, especially the tanks that have been placed inside a tunnel, near the dwelling of "Tuneli i parë" down the road Mitrovica-Stantërg.

The burning of the villages goes on

Drenicë e Epërme, April 5th (Kosovapress) Today, is the 3d day of the continuation of terrorist offensive of serbian soldiers against the villages of Drenicës së Epërme. The serbian çetniks have continued to burn even the houses of the villages Shale and Krilevë, which have not been burnt during the previous 2 days. This burning is accompanied by a barbaric vandalism, while the population of these sides is facing the danger from either the bullets and grenades of the occupator, or hunger. The units of KLA are doing the outmost efforts to defend the security of this population, sheltered in 6 Georges of the mountains of the Zone from Komoran up to Gryka e Caralevës. The serbian military forces with the heavy war machinery, have occupied the key points of this Zone to keep under target the civil population, which is been forced to be displaced from Kosova.

Serbian forces being retreated because of NATO's air strikes

Ferizaj, April 5th (Kosovapress) Today, in Ferizaj and environs the situations looks a little more quiet, because the serbian military-police forces have given the alarm for their retreat, seeing the possibility of NATO air strikes. Today, before noon there have been a movement of the armoured vehicles from Shtimje toward Ferizaj and Lipjan. Meanwhile, yesterday, in the entrance of the village of Balaj in vicinity of Ferizaj, at Fidanishtja, serbian paramilitary forces and soldiers have fired with automatic guns in the direction of the old men as Ahmet and Rizah Ramadani, from this village. Then these persons have been controlled and maltreated heavily. Yesterday afternoon, some trucks filled with clothes, looted in the albanians houses in Slivovë and Koshare, have marched displaying white flags. The situation of the civil population concentrated in the mountains gorges and in some plain villages, is very dramatic. It is expecting in vain humanitarian air aids in foods and medicines.

8 civilians massacred and burnt from the serbian criminals in the village of Sferkë of the commune of Klina

Klinë, April 5th (Kosovapress) In April 1st, the criminal serbian forces massacred and burnt these albanian civilians in the village of Sferkë of the Commune of Klina. Defending the population, Abedin Tahir Murlaku from the village of Gremnik fell heroically. The persons massacred and burnt in their houses are:

Sinan Ramadan Gashi, Sferk

Hamdi Azem Gashi, Sferk

Qerim Shaban Gashi, Sferkë

Sylejman Ali Gashi, Sfërkë

Sejdi Gashi, Sferkë

Hamdi Sherif Rudi, Rudë

Demë Brahim Morina, Sferkë and

Binak Tahir Berisha, Vulljak

There are doubts on other victims. All the massacred victims, as well as the freedom soldier, are buried in the village of Sferkë.

Fierce fights in the villages of Drenica

Drenica, April 5th (Kosovapress) Yesterday , during all day in the environs of the villages of Likovc, Abri, fierce battles have taken place between units of KLA and serbian terrorist forces which were pushed to retreat. In spite of this, in the places where serbian military-police has reached to enter, they have destroyed everything that belonged to the albanians, such case was with the village of Qirez where serbian police after retreating once, the came back again and burnt everything, while in the Grykë of Vuqakut, they burnt over 50 tractors which were full of clothes of albanian civil population. In Çikatovë e Re, every moment you can see serbian paramilitary forces plundering and taking money from the civil population. The largest part of Gllogoc has been burnt and is yet burning, in Shtrubullovë the peasants are threaten to leave their houses, and while making this threat serbian terrorist have killed one old man but we could not learn his name. It is too true, that during the latest serbian barbaric offensive in the village of Negroc, 5 albanian civilians have been killed and many other are wounded, in Tërdec 7 people are killed , in Abri 13 are killed, in Grykën e Vuqakut 3 civil albanians are killed. There are doubts that the number of the killed people is much higher, while serbian military forces with all their military machinery and technique are concentrated in the Qukë of Gllareva, along the road Gllogoc-Skënderaj, in Cerovik, in Çabiq and in Zatriq.

U.S. Base In Cuba Unready For Refugees

By Jane Sutton

MIAMI (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which housed 51,000 Caribbean boat people in the mid-1990s, would need a rapid building program to accommodate Kosovo refugees, military officials said Monday.

The United States agreed at the weekend to accept 20,000 refugees from the conflict in Kosovo and identified Guantanamo Bay as a possible shelter.

But the barracks and tent cities that held asylum-seeking Cubans and Haitians in 1994 and 1995 are long gone. And the United States has scaled back spending and staffing at its Guantanamo base in southeastern Cuba, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military's Southern Command (Southcom), said.

``Those facilities don't exist right now,'' Lt. Jane Campbell said from Southcom headquarters in Miami. ``It would take building part of the infrastructure.''

The Pentagon said 20,000 of 830,000 ethnic Albanian refugees driven from their Kosovo homes by Serbian forces in the past year would be taken to facilities outside the territorial United States, with U.S. military bases in Guam, Europe, and Guantanamo Bay being considered.

A Department of Defense spokesman in Washington said Monday there had been no decision whether Guantanamo would be used and Southcom officials in Miami said they had heard nothing.

``We're still awaiting additional guidance,'' Campbell said. ''We know it's an option.''

A Miami attorney who represented earlier refugees held at Guantanamo questioned the wisdom of sending Kosovo refugees halfway around the world to a base where they would be isolated and in an unfamiliar climate with little to do.

``It's just an awful proposition, especially given what these poor people have been through,'' attorney Cheryl Little said. ``There are military officers guarding the camp. There's barbed wire, you can't leave.

``Refugees should be offered permanent help, not detained and stashed aside at a military base where they're removed from attorneys and a viable support system,'' she said.

Refugees Still Stuck At Macedonian Border

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of hungry and exhausted Kosovo refugees were still stranded at the Macedonian border Monday, while some west European countries appeared keen to stop an influx of refugees across their own frontiers.

As NATO put the number of ethnic Albanians driven from their homes in Kosovo over the past year at 831,000, the U.N. refugee agency said that of 120,000 refugees in Macedonia, 85,000 were still camped in two cold and muddy border zones with Yugoslavia.

``Some 65,000 are in the area of Blace, 20,000 are in or trying to get to Jazince, less than 2,000 are in Kumanovo and the rest are scattered over Macedonia,'' said UNHCR spokeswoman Paula Ghedini. Another 50,000 were expected in the coming days.

Ghedini said the agency was hearing from refugees that the queue of those waiting to cross from Serbia at Jazince stretched for 25 km (16 miles).

``We need to get these people out,'' Ghedini told reporters. ''It is terrible there. It is extremely muddy. The rain is not helping. We have already weakened people who went through a harrowing experience for four days. They waited at the border; they have not eaten.''

The scale of the exodus from Kosovo has wrongfooted the West and thrown rescue efforts into confusion.

Some 34,000 Kosovo Albanians were driven into Albania by Serb forces Sunday and 10,000 had been sent to Macedonia, NATO said. It put the number expelled from Kosovo, since NATO air attacks against Yugoslavia began on March 24, at 360,000.

European Union countries have begun flying in food, tents, medical supplies and other equipment to Kosovo's neighbors in a bid to stem pressure from refugees to be flown out to the West.

The EU and NATO agreed at the weekend to give sanctuary to more than 100,000 of the ethnic Albanians.

However, Germany has insisted that this could only be viewed as a temporary measure.

Germany is particularly sensitive about refugees. It housed 350,000 Bosnians during that earlier Yugoslav war, more than the rest of the EU put together, creating tension with the sizeable Serb community in Germany and right-wing anti-immigrant groups.

Britain offered to provide temporary accommodation for some refugees but said its top priority was to enable them to return home and rebuild their lives in a secure environment.

In Rome, a government source noted that Italy was the only country with a massive refugee operation under way in Albania, and that was the main focus of Italian efforts at the moment.

EU interior ministers are due to meet Wednesday to coordinate a plan to provide sanctuary to the refugees.

At Skopje airport, meanwhile, there was no sign of airlifts to Germany, Norway and Turkey which the Macedonian government had said would start Sunday evening.

A Macedonian government official, who declined to be named, told Reuters that the outside world had failed to fulfil its promises on immediate aid, adding there was a danger of epidemics among the refugees, including cholera.

``The air bridge did not start functioning because the countries which promised to accept the refugees did not issue permits for the planes to land,'' the official said.

A U.N. official in Skopje said she feared the massive airlift could take several more days to prepare.

The UNHCR said its latest total for the number of refugees who have left Kosovo was composed of 226,000 people who had arrived in Albania, 120,000 in Macedonia, 35,700 in Montenegro, 7,900 in Bosnia and 6,000 in Turkey.

``By tomorrow morning it's going to be 430,000. It's growing by 30,000 a day,'' UNHCR spokesman Kris Janowski told Reuters.

Two U.S. military transport planes brought in supplies and equipment to Tirana's Rinas airport, including machinery for the quick unloading of aircraft which the airport did not possess.

The U.N. World Food Program said that, in contrast to the situation in Macedonia, the food distribution network in northern Albania was now working.

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said the alliance was providing logistics, helicopters and soldiers to help the humanitarian effort, but caring for the refugees until they could return to their homes was not the job of a military alliance.

NATO Powerless To Stop Mass Expulsion From Kosovo

By Douglas Hamilton

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO aircraft witnessed Yugoslav troops ethnically cleansing a Kosovo village on the weekend but could not stop it, a NATO spokesman said Monday.

Pilots took a series of detailed aerial photographs of Yugoslav armor deployed as troops emptied the village of Glodjane, the villagers being herded together and the houses torched after the population had gone, he said.

But NATO was unable to neutralize Serb forces carrying out the systematic expulsion of Kosovo Albanians, even after they had removed the inhabitants of Glodjane, NATO military spokesman Air Commodore David Wilby told a briefing.

``We weren't able to attack those troops yesterday,'' he said.

``If we were to see that sort of organization going on, with a mix of armor and troops very close, then I think we'd have to think very carefully about where and when we put out attacks in,'' Wilby added.

Reconnaissance photographs showed six armored vehicles deployed at one end of Glodjane around an open field with what appeared to be a crowd of a few hundred people and 60 civilian vehicles.

Wilby said follow-up images showed the field empty and the village in flames.

Glodjane lies in western Kosovo between the towns of Decani and Klina. According to NATO, the last organized resistance of the Kosovo Liberation Army has been backed up to the foothills of the mountainous western border with Albania.

With weather over Kosovo clearing following 12 days of cloudy skies, NATO's allied air campaign was zeroing in on Yugoslav forces in the field, Wilby said.

But the fear of killing civilians continues to deter allied pilots from attacking the tanks, armored personnel carriers, troops and mobile cannon used by the army and police to encircle and clear out ethnic Albanians, village by village.

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said 44,000 people were deported from Kosovo Sunday, raising the number of expelled Kosovo Albanians to 360,000 since NATO air strikes began on March 24.

``Clearly we want to stop the violence in Kosovo immediately, as soon as we can. And it is our intention to stop it before the last Kosovo Albanian has been forced to leave and to turn out the lights as he or she does so,'' Shea said.

``But clearly, as much as we try to stop the violence on the ground, we are faced with a situation where the Yugoslav forces with their tanks, with their aircraft, with their artillery, are in the cities in the villages pushing people out.

``Even if NATO cannot stop this (mass expulsion) from happening, we can reverse it,'' Shea said. ``Otherwise these people would be refugees for the rest of their lives.''

At the current rate of mass deportation, Kosovo could be virtually emptied of ethnic Albanians in two weeks, quadrupling the scale of the refugee emergencies in Albania and Macedonia.

But empty settlements may permit NATO commanders to relax strict rules of engagement for ground-attack pilots so they can start going after ground forces with a much reduced risk of so-called ``collateral damage'' to civilian populations.

NATO's aim is to disrupt and degrade these forces, cut them off from rear-base supplies and ultimately roll them back.

The U.S. Army is sending 24 Apache anti-tank helicopters to Albania for use in Kosovo, augmenting the range of aircraft designed for or employable in a ground-attack role, including A-10 Thunderbolts, Harriers, Tornados and Mirages.

The armored Apaches will be backed up by multiple launch rocket systems firing tactical missiles that have a range of 100 miles, providing cover for the low-flying helicopters.