Kosovo authorities say police have seized a substantial arsenal of weapons, explosives, ammunition and military equipment during operations in the Zubin Potok area, near sites where the remains of 23 people from the Kosovo war have recently been discovered.
Kosovo Police Director General Gazmend Hoxha said officers conducted searches at 48 locations, recovering 72 firearms in total.
The seized weapons included:
- 2 machine guns
- 11 AK-47 assault rifles
- 22 other long guns
- 27 hunting rifles
- 9 pistols
- 1 air rifle
- 7 explosive devices
- 7 hand grenades
- around 4,000 rounds of ammunition
- various firearm parts and other military equipment.
Police also reported finding military knives, binoculars, radio equipment, military bags and uniforms that officials identified as belonging to the Serbian Army and Serbian police.
The authorities also seized weapons documentation dating from the former Yugoslavia, UNMIK weapons permits, expired firearms licences and other records. Police said they additionally recovered approximately €96,000 and 5,000 Swiss francs.
Acting Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla said the weapons were found at 12 locations around villages near Kalludër, in the same broader area where investigators have uncovered three sites containing human remains.
The remains of 23 people were found across the three locations: 13 at the first site, four at the second and six at the third.
The discovery has raised questions about whether some of the weapons could be connected to crimes committed during the 1998–99 Kosovo war. Police Director Hoxha said investigators are examining that possibility, including a potential connection to the killing known as the “Group of Intellectuals.”
However, authorities have stressed that no direct connection has yet been established. Each weapon is expected to undergo forensic and ballistic examination to determine its origin and whether it can be linked to specific crimes.
If necessary, officials said, the weapons could also be sent to laboratories outside Kosovo for additional testing.
The investigation is particularly significant because the weapons were discovered in an area where authorities are simultaneously working to identify the remains of people who disappeared during the war. Any scientifically established link between the firearms and individual killings could provide new evidence in efforts to determine responsibility for wartime crimes.
