[kcc-news] A large number of civilians feared dead as heavy Serb military troops attacked north eastern Kosova villages today

[Mentor Cana]

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KCC Headlines, December 27, 1998
<http://www.alb-net.com/kcc/index.htm>http://www.alb-net.com/kcc/index.htm

Serious violations of the cease fire agreement by the Serbs

Attack in Podjeva... 
    * Heavy Serb military troops attacked north eastern Kosova villages today.
    Thousands of refugees... A large number of civilians feared dead... (KIC) 
    * Schoolteacher, Seriously Wounded in Obrançë, In Critical Condition
(KIC) 
    * Fierce Fighting Erupts in Kosova (AP) 
    * Serb 'provocation' in Kosova (BBC) 
>From KLA Representatives... 
    * KLA DAILY INFORMATION NR.1 
    * KLA DAILY INFORMATION NR.2 
Statements, viewpoints and analysis... 
    * President Rugova's Aid Calls for NATO Intervention in Kosova (KIC) 
    * Kosova Government Deplores "Brutal Offensive Carried out by FRY- Serb
    Forces' in Llapi Region of Kosova (KIC) 

Heavy Serb military troops attacked north eastern Kosova villages today. 
Thousands of refugees... A large number of civilians feared dead... (KIC)

Serbian Shelling Stops, Grave Consequences Feared in Podujeva Area. Serbian 
forces machine-gunned a number of Albanian houses in Podujeva

PRISHTINA, Dec 27 (KIC) - The LDK sources in the town of Podujeva said the 
shelling of Serbian military and police forces against a number of Albanian 
villages, launched earlier today (Sunday), stopped at around 14:00 hrs. The 
villages of Obrançë, Katunishtë ('Velika Reka'), Llapashticë, and Buricë, 
west of Podujeva, were shelled for several hours in a row.

Several Serb tanks and other Serb vehicles withdrew from Obrançë, but three 
to four tanks and a number of APCs were still inside the village, a couple 
of km west of Podujeva, sources said in mid- afternoon.


The consequences of the heavy Serb shelling is still by and large unknown. 
Killed and wounded are feared. The attacked area was blanketed with a dense 
fog today afternoon.

There is a ubiquitous Serb police presence in the town of Podujeva, home to 
20,000 people, and in its outskirts. Serbian forces occupying the Besiana 
hotel, at the edge of Podujeva, on the Prishtina-Podujeva highway leading to 
Nis (Serbia), have machine-gunned a number of Albanian houses of the Buçaj 
and Visoka family compounds in Podujeva. The houses of Isak Buçaj, Ramë 
Buçaj, Adem Buçaj, Osman Visoka, Shefki Visoka, and Ramë Visoka have been 
fired upon, LDK sources said. Shooting was reported also in the Albanian 
neighbourhood where the Serb church is situated in Podujeva. Meanwhile, the 
Serb regime Media Center in Prishtina said a Serb, Dragoslav Zdravkovic 
(1936), was wounded today morning in the village of Katunishtë ('Velika 
Reka'). Reportedly, the Serb farmer was fired upon with automatic weapons. 
He responded by shooting back to the assailants, the Serb Center said.

The village of Obrançë is on the way to Katunishtë. Both villages were 
shelled by Serbian forces today. Agim Veliu, vice-chairman of the LDK 
chapter in Podujeva, told the KIC by phone several thousand Albanians - 
mostly women, children and elderly - have been forced to flee their homes in 
Buricë, Konushec, Gllamnik, Llapashticë, the outskirts of the town of 
Podujeva, Obrançë and Katunishtë ('Velika Reka') villages. Part of the 
displaced population have sought refuge in neighbouring villages, others are 
living rough in the wooded mountains, in a dramatic situation amidst 
freezing temperatures. The local LDK official called on the international 
community to intervene militarily in Kosova. "Only such an intervention can 
save the people of Kosova from further Serbian massacres", Mr. Veliu said.

Back to top

Schoolteacher, Seriously Wounded in Obrançë, In Critical Condition (KIC)

The Albanian teacher is in desperate need of urgent medical treatment

PRISHTINA, Dec 27 (KIC) - Mr. Remzi Demolli, a schoolteacher in the village 
of Obrançë, sustained serious wounds today (Sunday) during the Serbian 
offensive against this village, 2 km west of the northern town of Podujeva.

The wounded Albanian teacher is in a critical condition in the village of 
Llapashticë, local sources said. A doctor who gave Mr. Demolli the first aid 
said he had sustained life-threatening wounds and needed to be urgently 
taken to Prishtina for treatment. The doctor asked for help from Prishtina, 
because the roads have been closed off by Serbian forces.


The owner of a private ambulance told the KIC he was turned back by the Serb 
police when he tried to enter the town of Podujeva today. The only chance 
for the Albanian teacher wounded in his home to survive is for the 
International Red Cross or any other international humanitarian organization 
to step in.

Back to top

President Rugova's Aid Calls for NATO Intervention in Kosova (KIC)

PRISHTINA, Dec 27 (KIC) - An energetic international intervention, including 
by NATO forces, may force the Belgrade regime to halt its aggression and 
ethnic cleansing campaign in Kosova, Mr. Xhemail Mustafa, press advisor to 
the President of the Republic of Kosova, said in a statement to the Kosova 
Information Center (KIC) Sunday afternoon.

Mr. Mustafa noted that heavy Serb military and police forces attacked again 
today the villages of Obrançë and Llapashticë, in the municipality of 
Podujeva, using "tanks and other artillery pieces".

The fact that Serbian forces have been attacking the Llapi region for the 
fourth day in a row is evidence that the Belgrade regime is undermining and 
openly disregarding the OSCE Kosova Verification Mission (KVM), Mr. Mustafa 
said. In addition, "with this renewed aggressive action, whose tragic 
consequences are borne by the Albanian civilian population, the Serb regime 
is making a negotiating process between Prishtina and Belgrade on the 
political resolution of the Kosova issue impossible".

Xhemail Mustafa said there were indications that an agreement for a truce 
between the UçK (Kosova Liberation Army) and the Serbian forces would be 
reached under the mediation of the KVM's head, Ambassador Walker, so that 
the situation in Llapi region be calmed with a restoration of the cease-fire 
violated by the Serb troops earlier this week. "Today's attack by Serbian 
forces is also directed against such a possibility, underscoring the 
unwillingness of the Belgrade regime to calm the situation and seek a 
political solution".


The Serb offensive against the Llapi region, in northern Kosova, as well as 
the ever increasing Serb forces' presence and provocations up and down 
Kosova, make it necessary that the international community intervene here, 
Rugova's aide said. "Only an intervention by NATO forces can force Belgrade 
give up its retaliatory operations against the Albanian civilian population 
on a large scale, halt its aggressive actions against the UçK positions, as 
well as the ethnic cleansing campaign in Kosova",

Xhemail Mustafa said in a statement to the KIC.

Back to top

Kosova Government Deplores "Brutal Offensive Carried out by FRY- Serb 
Forces' in Llapi Region of Kosova (KIC)

PRISHTINA, Dec 27 (KIC) - The Government of the Republic of Kosova "deplores 
the brutal offensive carried out by FRY-Serb forces", a statement referring 
to the unfolding Serbian offensive in northern Kosova, which was launched on 
24 December, said.

Following is the text of today's statement signed by Dr. Bujar Bukoshi, 
Prime Minister of Kosova in exile:

"Once again, the victims of the entirely unjustifiable breach of the 
purported cease-fire are innocent civilians. Once again it is the civilians 
who must pay the price for the misguided faith that has been placed in the 
word of Slobodan Milosevic. The renewed streams of refugees, fleeing from 
their villages as a direct result of systematic military operations, 
conducted as before as part of a pattern of terror, intimidation and ethnic 
cleansing, must now trigger a forceful international response. The 
credibility of NATO, the OSCE and their member states has been challenged by 
this onslaught launched on Christmas Eve.

The Government of the Republic of Kosova, and, indeed, the population of 
Kosova, cannot be expected to continue cooperation with the international 
presence in Kosova, if the process of ethnic cleansing and terror is 
permitted to resume under the very eyes of the verification mission, in the 
harsh conditions of mid-winter. Decisive steps must now be taken to make it 
clear to Milosevic regime that it cannot pursue its brutal policy, in 
violation of clear commitments, without restraint and with impunity. 
Otherwise the international effort in Kosova is doomed.


The hostilities must be terminated immediately, the heavy FRY forces must be 
withdrawn from Kosova territory, there must be immediate humanitarian access 
and the investigators from the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
former Yugoslavia must be permitted to operate without restraint.

These latest outrages also highlight the urgency with which genuine attempts 
to achieve an overall settlement to the question of Kosova must now be 
pursued. It must now be clear that the initiative proposed by Ambassador 
Hill cannot form the basis for a settlement, in as much as it has failed to 
attract the support of any of the parties to this conflict. The Government 
of the Republic of Kosova, for its part, remains eager and willing for real 
negotiations to commence, once the FRY has complied with the mandatory 
demands of the United Nations Security Council.

The Government of the Republic of Kosova remains willing to start immediate 
cooperation with an International Implementation Commission, to ensure 
compliance with these mandatory demands by all sides. Once compliance has 
been certified, international mediated negotiations between Kosova and FRY 
can commence in Geneva or at another appropriate venue outside former 
Yugoslavia. The American leading role in this process is indispensable. The 
Government of the Republic of Kosova has already made public the principles 
that will guide its delegation in such negotiations. These principles were 
formulated in a constructive spirit, which does not seek to impose 
preconditions upon the talks which must now begin without further delay."

Back to top

Fierce Fighting Erupts in Kosova (AP)

By MISHA SAVIC Associated Press Writer

OBRANCA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Serbian police and ethnic Albanian rebels waged a 
fierce battle Sunday around a guerrilla stronghold, exchanging fire with 
artillery, mortars and grenades in northern Kosova.

Police wearing flak jackets and helmets fired from trenches at the outskirts 
of Obranca village toward neighboring Lapastica - the Kosova Liberation Army 
stronghold that appears to be the main target of their four-day-old offensive.

The ethnic Albanians accused police of opening fire first on Sunday morning, 
but rebels were shooting back heavily.

The crackdown has resulted in the most serious clashes in the secessionist 
province since an October truce, despite the efforts of international 
monitors determined to prevent a return to full-scale war.

At least 10 ethnic Albanians have been reported killed in the offensive. The 
body of the latest victim, a 44-year-old man, was discovered Saturday night, 
the Kosova Information Center said.

Teams of international monitors were sent to the area of Sunday's shooting 
in rebel-controlled territory between Obranca and Lapastica, some 20 miles 
north of Pristina. The unarmed patrols generally keep clear of the combat.

One verifier near the scene of Sunday's clash characterized it as ``serious 
fighting.''

International monitors have talked to both sides in the fight over the 
ethnic Albanian-dominated province of Serbia, the main republic in 
Yugoslavia. Those efforts, and visits to the areas of conflict, appear to 
have helped prevent a complete breakdown of the shaky truce.

But Serb forces have refused to end their buildup in the rebel-held area. 
International officials, who still hold both sides responsible for the 
worsening violence, have strongly criticized the Serbs for responding with 
dozens of tanks to alleged provocations by the KLA.

Serb police said they would stay in Obranca, about a mile from Lapastica, 
until at least after the funeral later Sunday of a 65-year-old Serb farmer 
killed by the KLA on Saturday. The police took up positions behind his house 
and were firing from trenches there.

The farmer, one of the last Serb civilians in the predominantly ethnic 
Albanian village, was shot after he and his family opened fire on the 
rebels, a KLA commander was quoted as saying in the ethnic Albanian daily 
Koha Ditore on Sunday.


The top Serb official in Pristina said the farmer's death was ``another 
crime committed by Albanian terrorists whose aim is to make Kosova 
ethnically'' all-Albanian.

``State authorities are prepared to deal with all those jeopardizing the 
territorial integrity of our country,'' Zoran Andjelkovic told reporters.

The Kosova Information Center claimed Serb police are passing out weapons to 
Serb civilians in the region.

In a separate incident Sunday, the Serb-run Media Center said a 62-year-old 
villager from Velika Reka near Podujevo was shot at with automatic weapons 
and fired back on the ``terrorists.''

The rebels have acknowledged they are rearming and preparing for sustained 
fighting in order to gain freedom for Kosova.

A large group of armed ethnic Albanians was prevented from entering Kosova 
illegally from Albania late Saturday when Yugoslav army border guards fired 
on the ``attackers'' near the Vrbnica border outpost, the Media Center said. 
No casualties were reported.

International diplomacy that produced an October peace agreement has failed 
to achieve an agreement on Kosova's political status aimed at ending the 
conflict.

More than 1,000 people have been killed since Yugoslav President Slobodan 
Milosevic began an offensive against the rebels last February, driving some 
300,000 were driven from their homes.

Hundreds have fled the latest fighting in the Podujevo region, walking for 
miles in sub-freezing temperatures and packing into houses already cramped 
with other refugees, sometimes dozens to the room.

Back to top

Serb 'provocation' in Kosova (BBC)

Sunday, December 27, 1998 Published at 02:13 GMT BBC

The top international official in Kosova has condemned an operation by 
Serbian security forces in the north of the province as a provocation.

Heavily armed police moved into a predominantly ethnic Albanian village in 
the Podujevo region following the killing of an elderly Serb man on the 
third day of clashes between Serbian security forces and ethnic Albanian 
rebels in the area.

In a BBC interview, William Walker, who leads a mission by the Organisation 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe, said members of the Kosova 
verification mission were continuing efforts to persuade Serbs and ethnic 
Albanians to halt the violence.

"The government decided against our best advice to move the police into the 
village in considerable strength ... that's a bit of a provocations in 
itself since the village is all Albanians and all very angry and with their 
KLA army up in the hills above them."

"It's a very tricky situation," he said. "With unarmed verifiers it is not 
always easy to get them to stop shooting each other or looking for a fight."

The onset of more fighting is a blow to Mr Walker, who had urged Serbian and 
ethnic Albanian commanders on Friday to reinstate a cease-fire agreed two 
months ago which fell apart on Christmas Eve.

Nato has threatened air strikes on Belgrade if the terms of the truce are 
breached.

Back to top



KLA DAILY INFORMATION NR.1



>From our sources from the field we got informed that today in the region of 
Llap, Sebian forces and in particular 'VJ' forces with infantry, tanks, 
artillery and heavy armament got off the main road and entered in the 
Albanian villages where they were not supposed to. Afterwards they were 
shooting and shelling Albanian villages like in Konushevc, Dobratin, Upper 
and Downer Llapashtica, Obranxhë etc. With one word, all the villages from 
Burincë to Bradash are target of this offensive. Also we got informed that 
'VJ' tanks got situated in the place called "Qershijat e 
Llapashticës"(Cherries of Llapashtica). 'VJ' is using snipers and they are 
shooting, too. Totally in this offensive 'VJ' is using over 100 tanks. The 
civil population of these villages was force to flee from their homes as a 
result of this offensive.



Back to top


KLA DAILY INFORMATION NR.2



>From our network from the field we got informed about latest events in the 
region of Llap (municipality of Podujeva), as follows:

'VJ' units went deep in the village Upper Llapashtica and they are now in 
the place called "Tabet e Llapashticës" where they are fortified. This is 
the place where Mr.Goran Zbilic was released from UÇK and an UÇK position.

The 'VJ' units are in the neighborhood Duriqi in the village Obranxhë, too.

One unidentified killed person is lying dead near the gas station in the 
village SekiraÄ.

There are snipers in some higher buildings of the town of Podujevë, and due 
to this all streets are empty. A lot of people who fleed from their homes 
from the villages arrived in the town of Podujeva.

The regular line of the bus "Mentori Tours" with the firm "Valmiri" on it 
which goes from Podujeva in Prishtina, when he stopped in the village in 
Gllamnik, a Serbian police APC which was going along the main road shot from 
automatic machine gun in the glass windows of the bus. The passengers were 
terrified, but fortunately except one person who was scratched a bit in his 
ear from a bullet, nobody else got hurt.

In the village Kulinë a truck which transports salt, was put from the police 
as a barricade in the street.

Information Service Prishtinë, 24.12.1998


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