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| been destroyed and all looted
and vandalised; in Donje Ratis and Gornje Ratis, 90% of
the homes were destroyed; and in Krusevac, only 20 out of
160 houses were left undamaged. All of these events appear to illustrate that Serbian/FRY forces took part in, inter alia,
More than in any other area of Kosovo, units of the VJ were openly involved in the clashes in the border areas and in the destruction of villages and property. There are several VJ Brigades, Regiments and Battalions stationed in the border region, ostensibly to protect the FRY from external attack, including a Motorised Infantry Battalion, in Pec, the 52nd Anti-aircraft Regiment and the 311th Air-Defence Regiment in Djakovica, and the 53rd Border Guard Battalion in Djakovica. Once again, all of these forces were subject to the general command of General Pavkovic in Pristina. In addition to these VJ forces, MUP forces from the SUPs in Djakovica and Pec were also in a position to be utilised, as well as from the sub-station in Decane. Named as persons in positions of command in these stations are Milan Stanovljevic, Dragutin Adamovic and Vukmir Mircic. Additionally, it has been speculated that the forces involved in the attack on Lodja included JSO units based in the prison compound at Dubrava, near Istok. (iv) Attack near Susica at the end of August While not being a widely reported incident, the attack on a hamlet near Susica, to the north-east of Istok, on 29 August, merits attention on the basis of the organised, efficient and co-ordinated manner in which it was carried out and the variety of forces utilised. A KDOM team received reports of the attack and the killing of eight male members of one family in the hamlet and went to Susica to investigate. The targeted individuals were the male members of the Salihaj family and their neighbours recounted the details of the operation. On Saturday 29 August, at 6:00 a.m., Serbian police forces arrived and ordered the four neighbouring families to the Salihaj compound to assemble in one house and not move. Then, these police forces set the freshly collected grain and hay on fire and waited until the male members of the Salihaj family came out to extinguish the fire. At that moment, the police opened fire, although the witnesses were unable to see what ensued. It seems that these MUP forces used 60mm mortars and the KDOM team could confirm 15 mortar impacts in the location of the Salihaj compound. KDOM also observed blood spots in the garden where the eight men were killed, some allegedly having had their throats slit. The youngest of those killed was 16 and the oldest was 75 years of age. According to the accounts of the neighbours, the bodies of the victims were then put in a van and were left in different places in the locality. The police then authorised the neighbours to leave their houses and ordered them to bury the bodies. KDOM observed these graves. One of the female members of the family also went missing during the attack and sources claim that her |
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