Acting Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla has announced that investigators have recovered the remains of at least four individuals at a newly discovered mass grave site in Jabuka, in the municipality of Zubin Potok, describing the discovery as another step in efforts to uncover the fate of people who went missing during the Kosovo war.
Speaking to reporters from the excavation site, Sveçla said the victims are believed to have been executed before being buried in a lime pit.
“I have just arrived from the location where the new mass grave was discovered. So far, at least four bodies have been found, and it is believed they were thrown into a lime pit after being executed,” Sveçla said.
He stated that investigative teams, forensic specialists and experts from Kosovo’s Institute of Forensic Medicine, supported by experts from the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), are continuing excavation and identification efforts at the site.
Sveçla stressed that authorities remain committed to uncovering the fate of all missing persons and holding those responsible for war crimes accountable.
“The investigations into those responsible for these crimes will continue. We will not stop until the last missing person has been found, and we will not stop until every perpetrator is brought to justice, especially those responsible for executing innocent civilians during the war and attempting to conceal these crimes,” he said.
The acting minister also accused Serbia of continuing to evade responsibility for crimes committed during the 1998–1999 Kosovo war and alleged that there have been sustained efforts over the past decades to conceal evidence of those crimes.
The discovery in Jabuka adds to ongoing investigations into wartime mass grave sites in northern Kosovo, as authorities continue efforts to locate the remains of missing persons and establish accountability for crimes committed during the conflict.
