Excavations, assessment and exhumation of suspected human remains at the Kalludër site in Zubin Potok are expected to be completed within the coming days, according to Kushtrim Gara of Kosovo’s Government Commission on Missing Persons.
Speaking to RTK, Gara said the fieldwork is now in its fourth week and is currently focused on the third suspected mass-grave location identified at the site.
Once the excavation and exhumation phase is completed, the remains will undergo further examination and DNA testing in cooperation with international partners. Gara stressed that the laboratory identification process will take additional time.
“In terms of excavation, assessment and exhumation of the remains, it is a matter of days—if not today, then tomorrow, during this week. However, completing the process as a whole, including examination of the remains and DNA analysis, will take some time.”
He said Kosovo’s institutions will prioritize all procedures that fall within their authority and can be carried out by domestic experts.
The suspected burial sites were identified following investigations into the possible presence of remains belonging to people who went missing during the Kosovo War.
If the remains are successfully identified, the Government Commission on Missing Persons is expected to notify the victims’ families. The families will then have the right to decide on the date and location of burial and whether they wish the information to be made public.
The developments in Kalludër could provide important answers to families who have waited for decades for information about their missing relatives and could potentially shed further light on the fate of victims of the 1998–1999 Kosovo War.
