TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF SERBIAN OFFENSIVE IN KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 9175 ) PRISTINA, Oct 17 (Hina) - The Kosovo human rights committee on Saturday issued information about the tragic consequences of Serbian offensives in Kosovo in the past three months, According to the data, 895 Kosovo Albanians have been killed, massacred or burnt, two minor girls were sexually assaulted and massacred, 512 Albanians have been wounded, and 586 abducted or presumed missing. On September 27, Serbian troops massacred the Delia family near Drenica, including four children. The Kosovo Committee for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms said 1,670 Albanians were killed, massacred or burnt since the beginning of the year. Out of the total, 1,260 have been identified, while 410 were buried without being identified. Among those killed were 161 children, 190 women and 339 elderly persons. In the same period, 5,171 Albanians have been assaulted, at least 4,500 homes destroyed and several villages and settlements no longer exist. At least 15 villages in the Srbica municipality have been abandoned, and similar circumstances can bee found in other places in Kosovo. All this information did not include the violation of human rights and freedoms that occurred in Kosovo, due to the war circumstances making it a difficult task to gather all information, the Committee said on Saturday. (hina) lml 171230 MET oct 98