Bomb attacks in Lipljan
by N.Z.
Blic, Belgrade, FR Yugoslavia, September 24, 1999
Lipljan - Three days ago, near the market place in Lipljan, a bomb was thrown in the courtyard between Banjo Suic's and Misko Kostic's houses. There were no victims, but material damage was immense. On the same day, around 5 p.m. near the secondary school, about 100 yards from a KFOR checkpoint, two Albanians attacked Ilija Cenkovic (65) with rubber clubs. Mr. Cenkovic suffered heavy head and backbone injuries. Two days ago a bomb was thrown into Svetozar Jovanovic's courtyard, causing great material damage. There were no casualties.The day before yesterday, around 6:30 p.m., somebody from a large group of Albanian pupils threw a bomb on Trifun Lera's house in Nemanjina street. At that moment Lazar Romic and his wife Milka, refugees form the village of Novo Rujce near Lipljan, were sitting outside the house. Lazar's head and chest were severely wounded, and his wife was slightly wounded. KFOR troops transferred them to a military hospital, where Lazar died.
Half an hour later, outraged Serbs from the neighboring streets blocked the Pristina-Prizren road. Opposite them, a large group of Albanians set their barricades while stoning Serb houses and apartments. Swearing, threatening and provocations almost led to a "close encounter".
At a meeting held yesterday morning, upon KFOR's insistence, an agreement was reached to remove the barricades. On its part, KFOR assumed an obligation to prevent Albanian pupils from passing through Nemanjina street, to provide adequate school space for Serb pupils, to expel Albanians from Serb apartments and fully control the traffic in Nemanjina street.
In spite of the agreement, Albanian pupils tried to provoke the Serbs yesterday morning.
Blic's sources report that Natasa Adanovska, the chief of the Civil Administration in Kosovo Polje, has been dismissed for refusing the request to establish KLA authority in this town.
Translated in September 1999
