Many of the Serbs who keep watch at the main city bridge over the Ibar river preventing crossings of large numbers of Albanians to the north part of the city told Blic that they were convinced that their post was the intended target of the attack.
"There was a strong explosion and all the neighbors immediately ran outside to the street. There was no panic among the population, since French KFOR troops arrived quickly. They investigated the incident and told us that they had already started searching for the perpetrators," says Milan Dimitrijevic.
Before the mortar attack on the northern part of Mitrovica, during the soccer match between [Yugoslav soccer champion] Partizan and Rijeka [on Wednesday night], the Albanian terrorists opened machine gun fire from the park on the southern side of the river on Serb houses in the northern part of Mitrovica. Several flares and marker bullets fired by the Albanian terrorists flew over the Serb part of the city.
The National Council of the municipalities of Kosovska Mitrovica county has decided to until further notice prevent mass entry of Albanians from the southern part of the city because of continuing provocations.
Serbs from the northern part of the city yesterday set up an improvised food market near the main bridge, in order to ensure that there is always a large number of Serbs there. None of the Serbs dare cross the bridge and visit the southern part of the city, from where the Albanian terrorists have expelled all the Serb families.
Citizens of the municipality Zubin Potok have submitted a written request to the French KFOR Command in Kosovska Mitrovica to provide military escort for buses traveling between Zubin Potok and Kosovska Mitrovica by Monday at the latest. otherwise, the citizens threatened to block the road.
Serb physicians from Kosovska Mitrovica hospital yesterday held a public protest in front of the hospital, demanding from KFOR and UNMiK to prevent further arrival of unqualified ethnic Albanian staff in the hospital. So far, out of 167 physicians and nurses in the hospital, more than one hundred are ethnic Albanians. Serb physicians addressed their demands to the World Health Organization, UNMik in Pristina and Physicians Without Borders. [They asked for urgent medical supplies, since they are running out of medications].
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - After the request by Serb physicians in Kosovska Mitrovica hospital to prevent further entry of unqualified Albanian staff into the hospital, yesterday French KFOR troops began to demand proof of medical qualifications from the Albanian medical staff working in this hospital. The majority of Albanians balked against this decision, made by the new director of the hospital Mirillet, a French national.
The Serb physicians also requested that KFOR investigate the identity of the ethnic Albanian security workers. One of the employees of the Albanian security hit the receptionist, Milovan Orlovic. KFOR intervened and made sure the incident did not turn into a big clash. Director of the hospital Mirillet, fired the Albanian employee, for whom it is only known that his name is Raxhip. After that, the Albanians decided to leave the hospital, and they took with them many patients. The Albanian physicians even carried away patients from the emergency room, in spite of the shock and protests by the KFOR representatives.
Serb physicians and other non-Albanian staff are working as before. Director Mirillet and KFOR gave a firm promise a]that only 167 ethnic Albanian physicians and other medical staff will be allowed to enter the hospital, as had been earlier agreed with the civilian UN mission. Also, these workers will have to prove to be qualified to work as physicians and nurses.
Besides, last night Albanian terrorists kept shooting from machine guns from the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, exclusively inhabited by Albanians, at the northern part of the city, mostly inhabited by Serbs. A mortar shell exploded above the settlement Partisan Hill, but there was no damage. KFOR inspected the explosion site.
KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - For three nights in a row Albanian terrorists have been shooting from the southern part of the city, from where all Serb families have been expelled, at the north part of Mitrovica, mostly inhabited by Serbs, with machine guns and mortars.
Two nights ago, about 11p.m., a mortar shell exploded next to the hospital, in the north part of the city. Serb physicians believe that the hospital was the target of this attack.
The same night, Albanian terrorists hit three apartments in the apartment building in Kolasin St. The terrorists were shooting from the Trepca soccer club stadium, which is nearby. Bullets sprayed windows and balconies of the apartments owned by Ratko Trajic, Aleksandar Trboljevac, and Dragomir Gajic. Fortunately, none of the tenants were injured. KFOR troops inspected Dragomir Gajic's apartment the following morning.
Yesterday, a group of about 200 Albanians again tried to force KFOR troops to allow them to cross into the north part of the city with the intention of throwing Serbs from their apartments and houses. French KFOR troops prevented this group of Albanians from crossing to the north part of the city by setting up an armored car barricade.
BELGRADE - Orahovac is now a camp for Serbs. German soldiers are supposedly protecting about 4,500 Serbs in one part of the town, but the quality of their "protection" is illustrated by the fact that since the arrival of KFOR troops the so called KLA has kidnapped more than 40 Serbs and Roma. The kidnapings are a daily occurrence. The victims are usually returned a few days later: slaughtered, murdered and mutilated bodies in plastic bags. Every day, a house is set of fire and the owners are not even allowed to try to put the flames down, but are instead forced to watch their houses burn. Roads around Orahovac and elsewhere in Kosovo are under full control of the so called KLA gangs. They have lists with names of people who, according to their information, looted or served in our Police or Army, says for Blic Aleksa Simic from Orahovac. His brother Vasa managed to get him out of that town together with his family three days ago.
"I have heard from many people that Albanians have been sending groups to Serbia proper to search for the people who are on those lists and have hurt some of them. I know that such things happened in Kragujevac, Kraljevo, and Krusevac," says Aleksa.
In Orahovac, Simic continues his story, there has not been water and electricity for months. A four member family receives daily a loaf of bread, four tea bags, sometimes a can of soup and some canned food. People mostly drink rain water, because they have to queue for the small amount of water supplied by KFOR from truck cisterns. Queuing for water is dangerous, because these queues are frequently targeted by terrorist sniper fire. The Serb Orthodox Church, says Simic, has been doing all in its power to help the citizens of Orahovac. The assistance is limited because of the lack of money, but it is precious, as well as visits by priests, since they are the only source of news.
"Serb houses have been burned and looted. Those who are still alive sleep on bare ground or concrete in storage buildings, in the church and around it. Some of my neighbors, old and exhausted, have been sleeping for two months in a truck," says Aleksa Simic. After eight years of service with the Police reserves, he managed to get out of Orahovac with his wife, who is about to give birth, mother and two suitcases. Two of his houses in Orahovac have been burned.
Simic claims that unless something is done soon, Serbs in Orahovac will be exterminated. Many of them are ill and unable to receive medical treatment. They cannot be evacuated together because both KFOR and the Serbian state do not allow them to do that. The only way to escape the hell of Orahovac is to escape, or have the relatives, who can offer accommodation submit a request to KFOR for individual evacuation.