Prosecutor: Thaci, Veseli, Selimi, and others organized the attack on Orahovac, where KLA kidnapped civilians

Prosecutor Halling stated at the trial of KLA leaders in The Hague, presenting evidence of how that organization functioned, that the KLA unsuccessfully tried to lead an offensive in July 1998.

However, what they initially won, the prosecutor says, they quickly lost in the Serbian counterattack, which forced KLA members to withdraw from numerous areas under their control.

"There is evidence that the main staff did not issue the authorization to enter Orahovac, but it was done by Tachi, Veseli, Selimi, and other members of the main staff, in order to direct activities on the ground," the prosecutor pointed out.

He stated that evidence on how the KLA had abducted Serbian civilians in the Orahovac area would be presented.

"Some of the people from those operations are listed in Appendix B, and they are murder victims," Halling said.

The KLA kidnapped more than 100 Serbs and Roma from Orahovac and surrounding villages

Let us remind that in 1998, on July 17, to be precise, the KLA attacked Orahovac, and Serbian forces managed to enter Orahovac on July 21. At the time, 47 people were killed, and more than 100 Serbs and Roma were taken to KLA camps and prisons, and many are still on the list of missing persons.

The entire Serbian population was expelled from Retimlje, Opterusa, and Zociste villages.

A group of 35 civilians was freed by Red Cross activists. All traces of the others have been lost since then.

The remains of 36 people kidnapped in July 1998 were found in Malisevo and Volujak in 2005.

No one has yet been held accountable for the crimes against Serbs committed in the villages surrounding Orahovac. The families of the missing hope that those responsible could be discovered and punished when the special court for war crimes committed by members of the KLA starts working.