POLICE START WITHDRAWAL IN KOSOVO

( Editorial: --> 7856 ) PRISTINA, Mar 7 (Hina) - The Kosovo Information Centre Saturday reported that strong Serb police forces which in the last two days held several villages in the municipality of Srbica under siege have started a gradual withdrawal. The police left behind numerous demolished houses and empty villages, and dozens of killed and wounded people, in the villages of Donja Prekaza and Lausha especially. Due to engaged telephone lines and the impossibility of reaching the villages, Albanian sources have no information on possible new incidents or shootings in the Drenica area during the night. The Pristina-based daily in Albanian "Bujku" today reported that the shelling of Prekaza and other villages in the municipality of Srbica lasted until yesterday afternoon. The first witnesses who broke the police blockade in Prekaze spoke about several killed and wounded people, and burned and totally demolished houses. International humanitarian organisations, as well as numerous foreign reporters are still unable to reach the area. There is shortage of medicine, medical care and food, while Srbica has no water. According to "Bujku", several hundreds of families yesterday left their homes. Close to 1,700 arrived in Kosovska Mitrovica alone, and several hundreds sought refuge in the municipality of Vucitrn. The Serbian police last evening reported that "the Albanian terrorist core has been destroyed and leading terrorist Adem Jashari and 20 other terrorists have been eliminated, while in clashes with the terrorists two members of the Ministry of Interior Affairs lost their lives". (hina) ha 071217 MET mar 98