Excavations Conclude in Zubin Potok, Mortal Remains of 23 People Found

The four-week process of exploratory excavations and exhumation of mortal remains at three locations confirmed as mass graves in Kalludër and Jabukë, Zubin Potok, has concluded.

The Government Commission on Missing Persons announced that the remains of six individuals were found at the third location. In total, the remains of 23 people, suspected victims of enforced disappearance, have been confirmed at the three sites examined.

During the fieldwork, exploratory excavations, exhumations, forensic documentation and a comprehensive assessment of the areas of interest to the investigation were carried out.

The operation involved teams from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Missing Persons Police Sector within the Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes, as well as other police and security units. EULEX forensic teams based at the Institute of Forensic Medicine also took part in the process.

The excavations were carried out with the support of the Government Commission on Missing Persons and the Government of Kosovo, based on an order issued by the competent court. The order was issued following a request by the prosecutor handling the case in the War Crimes Department of the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo.

Kushtrim Gara of the Government Commission on Missing Persons said that the field engagement lasted around four weeks, from the end of the month until 21.08.2026, and that the areas have now been documented within the locations confirmed as mass graves.

According to Gara, the process of assessing the locations and exhuming all the mortal remains has been completed, while the materials have been sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for further legal examinations and DNA analyses.

He explained that identification through DNA may take longer, while family members will be notified as soon as the institutions receive the results of the analyses. Gara stressed that every action falling within the competence of Kosovo’s institutions will be handled as a priority and professionally, and that informing the families will be one of the immediate steps after the DNA report is received.

Following the completion of the fieldwork, procedures will continue with forensic examinations and genetic identification, with the aim of determining the identities of the victims and taking further steps, including officially notifying the families.

The Government Commission on Missing Persons thanked the teams and institutions involved, as well as the families of missing persons and the “Voice of Parents” Families’ Association, for their cooperation throughout the process.