KOSOVO: CELINE: FUNERAL OF MASSACRE VICTIMS

(21 Jul 1999) Natural Sound The remains of 68 ethnic Albanians, victims of an alleged massacre, were laid to rest on Wednesday in a burial in the village of Celine in western Kosovo. Thousands of mourners paid their last respects to the dead, who were allegedly massacred by Serb forces in their bloody campaign in the battered southern province. Yet another burial taking place in Kosovo - this time it's one of the largest. The remains of 68 ethnic Albanians, including 11 children, the youngest 2 years old, were found a few weeks ago. They are thought to have been killed between 25th and 28th of March, during the opening days of NATO's air attacks on Yugoslavia. The oldest body found was of a 106-year-old man. Another forty-two men were found. Around three thousand people from Celine and the surrounding area attended the funeral. Calling the victims martyrs, speaker after speaker vowed to use their memories to obtain full freedom for Kosovo one day. They said Celine was singled out for massacre because the villagers had aided the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army. Witnesses say some of the dead were taken from their homes and others killed as they were being chased by Serb forces. Meanwhile, the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal continues to investigate alleged war crimes committed during the past few months in Kosovo. The graves will provide more evidence of the mass killings of thousands of ethnic Albanians during months of Serb terror. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...