Written by Petrit Latifi
Article taken from the short-lived political periodical, “Bulletin Albanais”, on 15 July 1919, describing Serbian atrocities in Kosovo.
“Serbian Atrocities in Northern Albania
After much delay in its transmission, we have received the following letter that one of our friends wrote us from Albania and that gives information on the manner in which the Serbs are conducting themselves.
“In Ipeck [Peja], Rashid bey was wounded by three shots by the Serbs who robbed him of 1,800 Turkish pounds and 21 boxes containing women’s clothing.
The house of Nazif bey was looted. Jup Aga, a merchant from Ipek [Peja], was murdered in broad daylight. The commissar, Vuksan Gojkovic broke into the home of Mak Duhanxhi with the intention of murdering him, but Mak managed to escape and the said Vuksan stole all the valuables and furniture he could find. The Serbian police killed the brothers Mehmed and Ahmed Muhaxhir and looted their homes. The same police robbed Abdullah and Haxhi Karaman Zaimi of 20,000 crowns and wounded them horribly. In the night, the Serbs broke into the house of Hajreddin Hoti and took 20 Turkish pounds and his watch.
All the villages of Plava, Gusine [Gucia/Gusinje] and Vunthaj [Vuthaj/Vusanje] have been destroyed by regular Serbian armed forces and robbed of everything. There were numerous victims killed and burned alive.
The little town of Radishefca [Radisheva] near Mitrovica was entirely pillaged and burned down. Many little children were thrown into the fire and the Serbs said: “Eto kakose satire arnautsko seme” (This is how you get rid of the Albanian race).
Thirty villages in Drenica have been reduced to ashes.
The following villages near Ipek were sacked and razed to the ground by the Serbian army: Rodofci [Radafc], Zlokukan [Zllokuqan], Shushica [Sushica], Istok [Istog], Jablanika [Jablanica]. In Istok, Serbian soldiers killed 160 people in one day and left the bodies to rot on the ground. In Jablanika they murdered the imam of the mosque, Mullah Halil Jara, and two old men. The said village of Zlokukan and 30 other hamlets in the surroundings were inhabited by Catholic Albanians and were all robbed and looted. Many people were killed and a large number of children were thrown into the fire.
The following villages of Rugova suffered particularly from the Serbian atrocities: Shtupci Siper and Poshter [Big Shtupeq/Small Shtupeq], Drelaj, Kushutani [Koshutan], Reka and Sakes, Rugova, Duganjava [Dugaiva], Shkreli, Vrelja, Velika, Sekullari, Haxhaje [Haxhaj], and Kuçishta [Kuqishta].”
Reference
Balkan Academia 