Who Ordered the Killing?” – Rexhepi: Arsenal Discovered in Zubin Potok Could Help Shed Light on the Fate of 23 War Victims

The discovery of weapons, ammunition and military uniforms in several villages near Kalludër in Zubin Potok has opened up new lines of investigation into crimes committed during the last war in Kosovo.

In the same area, three mass graves have been found in recent weeks, with bone remains belonging to at least 23 people identified so far.

The authorities are verifying whether the weapons discovered could be linked to the killing of these people. Acting Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla has said that fully solving the case is of particular importance.

“The discovery of the mass graves has once again made visible the scale of war crimes in Kosovo. The north of the country was not only the place where serious crimes were committed against civilians, but also an area where the bodies and traces of these crimes were hidden,” Sveçla said at a press conference in Mitrovica.

Former investigator Agim Rexhepi, speaking to “Bota sot,” described the discovery of the arsenal of weapons, ammunition and military equipment in Kalludër as a significant development in the search for the truth about people who went missing during the war in Kosovo.

Rexhepi stressed that the case should not be viewed simply as illegal possession of weapons, since they were found in an area where suspected mass graves and the remains of at least 23 people are also being investigated.

“This is not an ordinary case of unauthorized possession of weapons. The arsenal was discovered precisely in an area where suspected mass graves and the remains of at least 23 people were found. This issue is connected to the fate of missing people, to families who have been waiting for more than two decades, and to responsibility for the most serious crimes committed in Kosovo,” he said.

According to Rexhepi, the fact that 48 locations were searched and that weapons were found at 12 of them increases the importance of the operation. He emphasized that this involves a large quantity of weapons, ammunition, explosive devices, uniforms and military equipment, rather than a single weapon or an isolated incident.

He added that the Police had announced that all the materials would undergo examinations to determine their origin, how they were used and their possible links to various criminal cases.

Rexhepi called for caution in evaluating the evidence, stressing that every suspicion must be supported by forensic expertise. According to him, ballistic analyses, DNA, documents, testimony and every other element must be examined according to the highest professional and judicial standards.

He explained that if experts confirm that any of the weapons was used in the killing of the 23 people who went missing on April 19, 1999, the case could mark a historic moment for justice in Kosovo. Such a conclusion would establish a concrete link between the weapon, the crime, the victims, the place where the bodies were hidden and the possible perpetrators.

The former investigator also recalled that information about a possible mass grave in Kalludër had circulated for years.

“The Humanitarian Law Center documented that information about the killing of 23 Albanian civilians and their burial in Kalludër had been made public a long time ago. Regarding this incident, a witness gave a statement to UNMIK investigators and the Kosovo Police as early as 2003,” Rexhepi said.

He raised the question of how long a family should have to wait to learn where its relative was killed and buried, saying that the discovery of the remains and the arsenal could create a new opportunity to answer this question.

Rexhepi said that if expert examinations confirm the connection between the weapons and the victims, the investigation should not be limited to identifying them, but should lead all the way to those responsible.

“It must be established who detained these people, who ordered the killing, who used the weapons, who buried the bodies and who knew about the graves. It must also be clarified who obstructed justice for more than two decades. These are the questions the investigation must answer,” he stressed.

In conclusion, Rexhepi called on Kosovo’s institutions to continue the process with the utmost care, preserving every piece of evidence and ensuring that no element is lost or compromised.

He proposed that, if necessary, the analyses also be conducted outside Kosovo, in independent and specialized laboratories, so that the results would be as indisputable as possible. The Police has said that the examinations must determine whether the weapons were used in this case or in other incidents.

“Twenty-three people are not simply a number. They represent 23 lives, 23 families, 23 stories and 23 unhealed wounds. If forensic expertise proves that the weapons found were used in their killing, then part of the long silence may come to an end,” Rexhepi told “Bota sot.”

According to him, this would not be merely a matter belonging to the past, but also an effort to secure justice in the present and preserve the dignity of the victims. He stressed that although the truth may have been delayed for 27 years, the institutions have a moral and legal obligation to pursue every link in the chain of the crime until it is fully solved, since the families have waited a long time and justice must not be delayed any further.