Kosovo/Kosova As Seen, As Told meant the forced displacement of Kosovo Albanians from villages in known UCK areas and the pursuit of IDPs in the hills, particularly the targeting of men of fighting age. Operations in the east consisted of establishing and building up VJ defences, starting from the border and moving further into Kosovo. By late April, it was believed that the Yugoslav military and police in Kosovo numbered at least 40,000, with assistance from elements of the Yugoslav Second Army based in Montenegro. In attacks on rural communities, VJ forces were accused of firing shells, usually early in the morning, while what were often been described in refugee statements as a mixture of "police, paramilitaries, VJ and armed civilians" surrounded the village. Following a brief shelling, the surrounding units entered. This was evidence of the Yugoslav/Serbian forces carrying out a classic "horse shoe" move by surrounding the village on three sides. The artillery fire provided by the VJ initially shocked a village, possibly flushing out UCK members into the waiting forces outside. Militia, special police units and/or paramilitaries would then move into the village, assisted by armed civilians who often acted as local guides. A checkpoint was often established on the only open side of the village. Those IDPs who left in the direction of the checkpoint (away from the advancing forces) were subsequently robbed of any money and gold they were able to take with them. These checkpoints were also used to verify identification papers and again search for UCK members or active supporters. On occasion, the statements given by the refugees refer to the sudden shelling of a village where the UCK was not present. In a number of cases, it appears that reprisals were carried out in retaliation for a UCK success or a NATO air strike. In most cases, inhabitants were given a short period (five minutes, 30 minutes or by a specified hour) to be out of their homes. This would have limited the possibility that those departing would have had time to take valuables with them or bury them. Paramilitaries were therefore able to move into relatively untouched homes. Inhabitants were questioned for weapons or about particular persons or were simply ordered to hand over valuables. In many cases, it was reported that the homes of rich people were targeted. At the end of February and beginning of March, lists are believed to have been drawn up in Belgrade with the assistance of Kosovo town halls. The lists gave details of rich Kosovar Albanians and were given to certain paramilitary groups responsible for transporting the goods back to Serbia. Some units had lists of people to be "arrested". 38 39 As noted above, rumours were often spread concerning the impending arrival of a unit to a location. It would have been from these rumours that many refugees claim that "Arkan's Tigers" were coming to a village. Men were routinely separated from women and children. This was done in order to identify possible 40 members of the UCK. In some cases, it appears that orders were given simply to shoot the men. (See other chapters in this report for common patterns of events in such situations, for example Chapter 5, Violation of the right to life; Chapter 9, Arbitrary Arrest and detention; Chapter 14, Forced http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part1/ch3.htm (13 of 16)12/5/2003 11:48:47 AM