REFUGEES REPORT KILLING OF 148 ALBANIANS IN KOSOVO VILLAGE

SKADAR, April 29 (Hina) - An estimated 600 Kosovans arrived in the Albanian town of Skadar via Montenegro on Wednesday. Many of the deportees are from Srbica, who were forced to leave their homes about ten days ago. They spoke about the massacre in the village of Izbica, near Drenica, and claimed that 148 ethnic Albanians were killed in that village. Refugees have said that at the beginning of NATO's military operation a month ago, Serbian paramilitaries killed villagers in Izbica. The public has not been so far informed of the massacre since there were no foreign correspondents or international monitors in Kosovo to report that. Suleyman Dragaj, a refugee from the Drenica area, said that of 148 executed people, 130 were the old ones, and 18 were younger Albanians. Dragaj added Serb forces had first separated men from women and children and subsequently killed most of men. Another witness, Nezir Shalja, said his father and brother were among the victims, and that bodies of killed people were buried four days later. Refugees said graves of 148 Albanians were located just 100 metres from the destroyed school in Izbica. (hina) ms