The “Massacre of Krusha e Madhe” occurred between March 25 and 28, 1999, in the village of Krusha e Madhe in the municipality of Rahovec, as Serbian police and army forces targeted the Albanian civilian population. The massacre began on March 25 with heavy shelling of the village, followed by Serbian forces entering on March 26. They raided and burned homes, separating men from women and children. The men were divided into three groups: one was sent to Nagavc, another to the mosque in Krusha e Madhe, and the third to a hill outside the village. After brutal beatings and mistreatment, the men were executed. Their bodies were then burned, and the house where one group was killed was demolished with explosives. In an effort to cover up the crime, some of the bodies were thrown into a nearby river. The violence against the civilians of Krusha e Madhe continued over the next two days, with attacks, killings, and further destruction. In total, 243 people, including women, children, and the elderly, were killed during the massacre, making it one of the largest atrocities committed by Serbian forces during the Kosovo War.
(In the photo: The memorial complex in Krushe te Madhe.)
Text: The encyclopedic dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. II , Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Prishtina, 2018, page 1056.
Photo: © https://www.aa.com.tr/sq/ballkani/
Graphic processing: AHCF
