The Government Commission on Missing Persons announced on Monday the results of excavations at three sites in Zubin Potok, specifically in Kalludër and Jabukë, where the remains of at least 23 victims were exhumed.

According to commission chair Agron Limani, 13 bodies were found at the first site in Kalludër, four in Jabukë and another six at the third site in Kalludër.

The fieldwork, which lasted about a month, was carried out by specialists from the Institute of Forensic Medicine together with teams from EULEX, the Kosovo Police and other competent institutions.

Kushtrim Gara, a representative of the Commission, said the investigations have also focused on the case known as the “Intellectuals Group” — 23 Albanians from Mitrovica and Skenderaj who are believed to have been abducted and disappeared on April 19, 1999, in the area between Dren, Kalludër and Jabukë.

He added that the discoveries at the sites may be linked to this event, but the definitive identification of each victim will be confirmed only after DNA analysis.

The examination and identification of the remains are continuing at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the remains of at least 23 people had been recovered and exhumed at the three sites. He confirmed the breakdown: 13 at the first site in Kalludër, four in Jabukë and six at the third site, also in Kalludër.

Kurti announced that the identification phase has already begun. Samples from the remains found in Jabukë have been sent for DNA analysis, while the rest are undergoing further examination at the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

The figure of 23 people matches that of the “Intellectuals Group,” who are suspected of having been detained, abducted and executed by Serbian forces on April 19, 1999, he said. However, full identification may take several months, meaning the victims’ identities will be known with certainty only after the analyses have been completed.

Kurti described the families’ years-long wait and anguish over their missing loved ones as “indescribable” and called both for their fate to be clarified and for justice to be served. He accused Serbia of refusing to open state archives that would help clarify the cases and called on the international community to increase pressure on Belgrade to implement the Declaration on Missing Persons, adopted in Brussels on May 2, 2023. The acting prime minister specifically called for the opening of the archives of the Yugoslav Army’s 37th Motorized Brigade, whose file has been classified for 30 years.

Bekim Blakaj, executive director of the Humanitarian Law Center Kosovo, described the discovery as extremely important but stressed that its significance does not end with identification. Mass graves, he said, are also crime scenes.

“The position of the remains, damage to the bones, personal belongings, ammunition and other materials can help determine how the victims were killed, when they were buried and which structures took part in the crime and its concealment. The case is particularly significant because information about the killing and the possible burial site was provided to UNMIK and the Kosovo Police as early as 2003. Therefore, in addition to uncovering the crime, it must also be clarified why it took more than two decades for that information to be verified on the ground,” Blakaj told “Bota Sot.”

He insisted that the investigation should not be limited to the direct perpetrators but should extend across the entire chain of responsibility: who detained the victims, who ordered and carried out the killings, who organized the burial, which police or military structures knew about it and who obstructed the discovery of the site. According to a statement from the Center, Serbian police were informed of the killing as early as April 19, 1999, and, instead of investigating the crime, ordered the victims to be buried, making the concealment of the bodies part of the crime itself rather than merely a subsequent act.

Blakaj warned that, at this stage, it should not be taken as established that the bodies were moved after the war unless this is proven by forensic analysis and the criminal investigation. He noted that the possibility that the remains were dispersed by the terrain and the flow of water should also be examined.

He further emphasized that Kosovo should use this case to increase pressure on Serbia to open its archives, locate other sites and take responsibility for the crimes. According to him, the issue should not remain merely at the level of political statements. He called for the opening of archives and the verification of suspected sites to be established as specific, measurable obligations in the EU-mediated dialogue. Serbia’s responsibility, Blakaj stressed, does not end with handing over documents — its institutions must investigate and prosecute everyone involved in the killings, relocation or concealment of the bodies.

Asked whether Kosovo’s institutions should focus after this discovery on identifying the victims, investigating the perpetrators or seeking international accountability, Blakaj replied that all three processes should proceed in parallel. He said the forensic examination and DNA identification must be completed carefully, with the families notified before the identities are made public; each site must be treated as a crime scene, with evidence and the chain of custody preserved; an independent criminal investigation must be conducted into the perpetrators, those who gave the orders, their superiors and those who helped conceal the bodies; it must be investigated why the information provided in 2003 did not lead to an effective search and whether there was negligence or obstruction; and international legal cooperation and access to Serbia’s archives must be sought. Immediate priority remains identification, but he stressed that identification without justice would be an incomplete process.

Former Kosovo Liberation Army officer Naim Miftari interpreted the discovery as evidence of the Serbian occupier’s brutality and hatred toward Albanians. He recalled that the victims were unarmed civilians attempting to leave Kosovo for Montenegro. Miftari said their relatives will now have an opportunity to bury their loved ones after 27 years, but emphasized that this is a source of immense pain.

According to him, the state of Kosovo should sue the Serbian state for genocide and numerous massacres and relentlessly pursue those responsible, just as Mossad pursued Nazi criminals. He criticized previous governments, claiming they had pardoned Serbian criminals, particularly in the north, and that efforts to pursue them had begun only recently. Miftari said the trial in absentia of Serbian General Goran Radosavljević Guri, who took part in and led Serbian forces in the Prekaz and Reçak massacres, is expected to begin soon.

He stressed that the state and justice institutions must never stop pursuing war crimes, regardless of whether the perpetrators are Serbs or Albanians, and that they must not be granted amnesty. According to Miftari, had Serbian criminals in the north been pursued in time, the heroic police officers Enver Zymberi and Afrim Bunjaku would not have been killed. He said only the most recent government has taken major steps in the north and in strengthening the rule of law.

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The Government Commission on Missing Persons has published a report on excavations carried out at three sites in the municipality of Zubin Potok, where human remains belonging to at least 23 people were recovered.

The Commission’s chairman, Agron Limani, said the search for missing persons in this area had begun earlier, while concrete results were achieved during August.

According to Limani, the remains of 13 people were identified at the first site in Kalludër, four sets of human remains were found at the second site in Jabukë, while six more were recorded at the third site in Kalludër. He said that 23 people have been identified so far and that the exhumation process has been successfully completed.

Kushtrim Gara, a representative of the Government Commission on Missing Persons, presented a chronological account of the fieldwork.

He explained that the case concerns three mass grave sites in the northern, specifically northwestern, part of the Republic of Kosovo, within the territory of the municipality of Zubin Potok. The area includes the villages of Dren, Kalludër, Jabukë and Çrepulë, located in the southeastern part of the municipality.

According to Gara, field activities lasted nearly four weeks, while the first site was confirmed on July 27.

Regarding the first site in Kalludër, he said that at least 13 individuals, namely 13 forcibly disappeared victims, were established to be present.

Gara announced that on July 27, bone fragments and pieces of clothing were recorded at a place known as “Mëlleja” in the village of Kalludër. According to him, the remains had partially surfaced due to erosion and soil movement.

Following authorization from the prosecutor handling the case at the Prosecutor’s Office’s War Crimes Department, forensic operations began at the site on July 28. Forensic experts confirmed that same day that the location was a mass grave, Gara said.

He said systematic excavations began on July 30. The mass grave was divided into segments in order to accurately record, locate and document the human remains.

As the area under examination expanded and further remains were discovered, the minimum number of individuals was gradually updated in line with the findings in the field, Gara said.

During the process, he said, it was established that the first location was not a primary grave and that the remains of all 23 people could not have been located there.

The second site in Jabukë was confirmed on August 2, while excavations at that location began a day later.

Gara said that by the completion of work on August 3, the remains of four people had been found and exhumed. They were subsequently sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for further forensic examinations and relevant procedures.

The excavations and exhumations were carried out by experts from the Institute of Forensic Medicine, together with EULEX experts engaged within the Institute. The Government Commission on Missing Persons, Kosovo Police and other institutions provided support during the process.

He stressed that the investigations also focused on the case known as the “Group of Intellectuals.”

According to Gara, the operation focused on people forcibly disappeared from this area or those last seen there. This includes the case of the “Group of Intellectuals,” involving 23 compatriots from the municipalities of Mitrovica and Skenderaj, who were abducted and disappeared while travelling from the village of Koshtovë in the municipality of Skenderaj to Montenegro, between the villages of Dren, Kalludër and Jabukë, around April 19, by military forces of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The findings and information secured at this stage conditionally link this process to the “Group of Intellectuals” case, but the identity of each person must be further established through DNA analysis, Gara said.

He added that alongside these actions, investigative, operational and forensic work has continued to locate other possible sites.

Human remains of at least 23 people were found at the three excavation sites in Kalludër and Jabukë. Individual identification is expected to continue through forensic examinations and DNA analysis.

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After four weeks of fieldwork, assessment excavations and the exhumation of human remains have been completed at three locations confirmed as mass graves in Kalludër and Jabukë, in Zubin Potok.

The Government Commission on Missing Persons announced that human remains belonging to six individuals were found at the third site. As a result, the number of people discovered at the three locations has risen to 23. They are suspected to be victims of enforced disappearance.

During the operation, assessment excavations, exhumations, forensic documentation and inspections of other areas of interest were carried out.

The teams from the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Police Missing Persons Unit, which operates under the Directorate for the Investigation of War Crimes, as well as other police and security institution units, took part in the activity.

The operation was supported by the Government Commission on Missing Persons and the Government of Kosovo. It was carried out pursuant to an order from the competent court, following a request by the prosecutor handling the case at the War Crimes Department of the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo. EULEX forensic teams from the Institute of Forensic Medicine also took part in the fieldwork.

Following the completion of the excavations, the materials found will undergo forensic examinations and DNA analyses. These procedures are intended to establish the identities of the victims and enable further steps to be taken, including the official notification of their families.

Kushtrim Gara of the Government Commission on Missing Persons confirmed that work at the sites suspected of containing mass graves had been completed, while warning that identification through DNA analysis would take more time.

“This involved around four weeks of work, from the end of the month until now. The area has now been marked and is among the locations confirmed as mass graves. It can be said that the assessment of the sites and the exhumation of all the human remains have been completed, after which they were sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for further forensic examinations, including DNA analyses,” Gara said.

According to him, Kosovo’s institutions will address all matters within their jurisdiction as a priority and with professionalism. Gara explained that the genetic identification process could take time and that, once the DNA report is received, the relevant procedures would be followed. One of the first steps will be to notify the families, but this phase will require time.

The Government Commission on Missing Persons thanked the teams and institutions that took part in the process. It also expressed its gratitude to the families of missing persons and the “Voice of Parents” Families’ Association for their cooperation.

Lawyer Gazmend Halilaj stressed that the discovery of the remains does not mark the end of the institutional work, but opens a new phase of humanitarian, legal and criminal importance. According to him, every human remain, personal item, piece of clothing, trace or other material discovered in these areas may help identify the victims and reconstruct the circumstances of their deaths.

In a statement to the newspaper “Bota sot,” Halilaj said that after the excavations, the site must be fully documented, the remains must undergo professional examination, biological samples must be taken and the preservation of every piece of evidence must be guaranteed without compromising its integrity. He considers DNA analysis one of the most important elements of this phase.

According to the lawyer, comparing the genetic material from the human remains with samples from relatives can establish the victim’s identity with a very high degree of certainty. For families who have been waiting for years or decades, such a result is not merely a scientific and legal conclusion, but also a human right and an opportunity to put an end to uncertainty.

However, Halilaj emphasized that identifying the victim is not the same as finding the perpetrator. DNA can establish whose remains they are, while criminal responsibility requires a link between the victim, the crime scene, the manner of death and the people suspected of the crime.

He stressed that each piece of evidence must be accompanied by a clear chain of custody: the time it was found, the person who collected it, where it was stored, the expert who examined it and the methods used must all be known. Failure to comply with legal and professional standards could create serious challenges to the use of the evidence in criminal proceedings, even if it has significant factual weight. According to him, responsibility for guaranteeing this process lies with the institutions.

Halilaj added that the investigation must also establish the place and time of the killings, the circumstances in which they occurred, the people present, the structures operating in the area and any information that could link a specific individual to the crime.

The Prosecution and Police must ensure that evidence is collected and administered in accordance with the law, while forensic experts and other institutions must ensure the professional examination and preservation of the human and biological materials. Every link in the process is important, as this evidence could also be used many years later in a court proceeding.

If the evidence shows that the deaths resulted from a war crime, identifying the victims will be only the starting point for a broader investigation. In that case, not only the identities must be established, but also the place, time and circumstances of the killings, the people present, the structures operating in the area and the possible links between specific individuals and the criminal offense.

According to Halilaj, every excavation requires a twofold approach: families must be given answers about the fate of their relatives, while every piece of evidence must be used to clarify the circumstances of the crime and determine criminal responsibility.

He pointed out that a mass grave should not be viewed only as a place where human remains are found, but also as a potential crime scene. It may provide information about how the crime was committed, the circumstances of the deaths and, potentially, the perpetrators. The passage of many years does not diminish the value of the evidence, especially in cases of war crimes, where every new element may help complete the history of an event that remains unresolved for families.

The lawyer concluded that justice cannot be based on emotions or assumptions, but on evidence collected, administered and preserved professionally and lawfully. If the materials found are linked to specific people and concrete criminal acts, they may carry decisive weight in criminal proceedings and in determining responsibility. For families, identification represents a step toward the truth, while for justice it should serve as the beginning of a full investigation into the crime.

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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.

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Kushtrim Gara, of the Government Commission on Missing Persons, announced that work had concluded at the suspected mass grave sites.

According to him, after approximately four weeks of work, the process of exhuming the skeletal remains has also been completed.

“This involved around four weeks of work, from the end of the month until today. It can now be confirmed that the area has been classified among the confirmed mass grave locations. The process has been completed with regard to the assessment of the sites and the exhumation of all the mortal remains, which were then sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for further legal examinations, including DNA analysis,” Gara declared.

Asked when the victims’ family members would be informed, Gara explained that identification through DNA analysis requires more time. He stressed that the families would be notified immediately after the institutions receive the analysis results.

“Every matter within the competence of Kosovo’s institutions will be addressed with priority and professionalism. Identification through DNA analysis may take a little longer. As soon as we receive the DNA report, we will take the necessary steps, while notifying the families will be one of the immediate actions. This part will require a little more time,” he said.

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Excavations, the assessment and exhumation of human remains in Kalludër, Zubin Potok, could be completed this week, Kushtrim Gara of the Government Commission on Missing Persons told RTK.

According to him, this is the fourth week of fieldwork, while the teams are currently working at the third site suspected of being a mass grave.

“In terms of excavating, assessing and exhuming the human remains, it is a matter of days—if not today, then tomorrow, that is, during this week. However, in terms of completing the process as a whole, there is first the examination of the remains, followed by DNA analysis, which involves laboratory testing carried out together with international partners and will take some time,” Gara said.

He explained that once the field operations are completed, the human remains will undergo examination and genetic testing in cooperation with international partners.

Gara stressed that Kosovo’s institutions would give priority to all actions within their remit and that could be carried out by local experts.

“But what is important is that everything within the capabilities and competencies of Kosovo’s institutions, and in the hands of their experts, will be addressed as a priority and within optimal time frames,” he said.

Suspicions that the remains of people who went missing during the war in Kosovo were present led to the excavations being carried out in this part of Zubin Potok.

Several weeks ago, a number of areas in this zone were identified as potentially being mass graves.

After the analyses are completed and the remains are potentially identified, the Government Commission on Missing Persons will inform the victims’ families, Gara said.

The families will then decide on the date and place of reburial, as well as whether they want the information about the process to be made public.

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Competent units of the Kosovo Police have discovered the skeletal remains of three individuals in the village of Kalludër, Zubin Potok, during investigations related to a case being treated as a war crime against the civilian population.

According to the police announcement, the discovery was made on Friday, while an initial assessment by a forensic expert confirmed that the remains are of human origin and of forensic interest.

Authorities have expressed suspicion that the remains may belong to victims of the last war in Kosovo.

“Village of Kalludër, Zubin Potok / 19.04.1999 – NN. On 14.08.2026, the relevant police units found the skeletal remains of three (3) individuals, which, according to the forensic expert, are of human origin and are of forensic interest. The skeletal remains are suspected to belong to victims of the last war in Kosovo,” the police’s 24-hour report states.

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The American news agency Associated Press has reported on the start of excavation work at the mass graves recently discovered in Kalludër e Vogël, in the municipality of Zubin Potok.

The search aims to find traces of people who have been missing since the 1998–1999 war in Kosovo. In its article, AP also conveys the pain of family members who have been waiting for years to learn what happened to their loved ones.

About 13,000 people lost their lives during the war in Kosovo. “Tensions between the two countries continue to persist. In May 2023, Kosovo and Serbia reached an agreement that included commitments by both sides to shed light on the fate of missing persons,” AP writes.

A few days before the latest excavations began, the Kosovo Police announced that it had arrested two Serbs suspected of war crimes linked to the mass graves. The two suspects remain in detention.

A United Nations tribunal in The Hague, the Netherlands, has tried and convicted several senior Serbian political and military officials for war crimes in Kosovo.

Erblin Ademi was carrying a photograph of his father, in which he can be seen holding him in his arms during his childhood.

“Everyone has the right to have a grave that can be visited, where they can be honored and remembered,” Ademi said.

“We very much hope that this will be the end. Regardless of how long the entire process takes, we will wait until we can honor them as they deserve,” he said, AP reports.

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Excavations are underway in Kalludër, Zubin Potok, as part of efforts to determine the fate of people who remain listed as missing from the last war in Kosovo.

The site was visited today by Mitrovica Mayor Faton Peci and Deputy Mayor Enis Osmani. The remains of people who went missing during the war are being sought in the area.

In a statement following the visit, Peci described the issue of missing persons and war crimes as one of the deepest wounds that continues to weigh on Kosovar society.

He wrote that, even after more than two decades, Kosovo continues to have open graves, while the wounds inflicted by the war are still bleeding.

Peci criticized Serbia, saying it has not apologized for the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. According to him, Mitrovica paid the highest price for freedom.

Speaking about northern Kosovo, the Mitrovica mayor said that cemeteries also bear witness to the traces of history and the Albanian presence in these lands.

According to Peci, nothing can conceal the truth, because blood does not disappear and the soil does not allow crime to remain buried.

He also drew attention to the suffering of the relatives of missing persons, who for nearly three decades have lived with waiting, pain, and the search for their loved ones.

Peci stressed that these families still keep alive the hope that one day they will be able to lay flowers on the graves of their relatives.

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As field investigations into the case in Zubin Potok continue, the Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo and the Kosovo Police have identified and confirmed the presence of human remains at a third suspected location.

Examinations and necessary investigative procedures are being carried out in the area through full coordination between the Special Prosecution Office, the Kosovo Police and other competent institutions, with the aim of clarifying all the circumstances.

The Special Prosecution Office of the Republic of Kosovo and the Kosovo Police reiterated their commitment to fully resolving the case by undertaking every necessary investigative action in accordance with the law and in close interinstitutional coordination.

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