KOSOVO, LIVING UNDER SIEGE
| As I report elsewhere, in July 1998, after entering Kosovo crossing the Albanian border together with a group of fighters from the Kosovo Liberation Army, accompanied by colleagues writers Fausto Biloslavo and Gian Micalessin, I arrived in Unik, at that time the capital of so-called Liberated Territories, that is areas Serb-military free. Unik, who had resisted so far to the Serbian siege, was almost depleted of all but its more determined residents. As often happens, daily life was going on ordinarily, in spite of sporadic shelling and sniping, the lack of electrical supply and telephone lines - both cut-off by serbs- and serious fuel and food shortage. Following, You will see a diary from almost two weeks in Unik, while Serb pressure was progressively growing. Local population was able to resist till 12th of August, when the Serbs military finally came in. I left Unik two weeks before, when residents were 2000, down from previous 10000. The whole population could leave Unik and seek refuge in Albania crossing the border after an enduring march high on the mountains. |
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| 52034 Local elderly shows his house roof, after serbian shelling. Well, I met this same gentleman in Kukes (Albania), in April 1999, that is 9 months after this picture was taken. After warmest greetings, I could hear from him about the way he had left Kosovo during Exodus of hundred thousand ethnic albanians |
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| 52036 |
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| 52037 Inside a shelled house |
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| 52032 The local bakery, according to the available fuel could bake bread relying electrical generators. |
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| 52035 |
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| 52040 |
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| 52085 |
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| 52094 |
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| 52102 |
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| 52110 A 104 years old gentleman in Gjocaj, a small village south of Unik |
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| 52151 |
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| 52140 The local medication post, where scores of KLA fighter were treated for wounds suffered while crossing the mountain border, heavily guarded by Serbian Border Police |
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| 52149 |
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| 52150 Showing a sniper bullet's hole in the dining-room window |
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| 52039 Every night, generators were switched on to provide power to TV sets long enough to watch neighbouring-Albania news. Europe armed intervention was highly expected by ethnic Albanians in kosovo since Spring 1998 |
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| 52033 |
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| 52097 |
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| 52108 |
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| 52137 Mr. Reza, the cook of the only restaurant in Gjocaj, which was providing free meals to all KLA fighters (and also to italian journalists...) |
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| 52147 |
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| 52148 |
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| 52078 |
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