A shell believed to have been fired 80 years ago during World War II has been detonated in a controlled manner. To carry out this operation, KFOR and Kosovo Police have previously evacuated the village of Stagovë, Kaçanik, where it was found.
The calm that usually reigns in the mornings of the village of Stagovë, Kaçanik, was interrupted on Friday by an unusual alarm.
With it, KFOR has begun notifying residents to evacuate their homes, leaving doors and windows open – a safety measure in the face of the threat from an unexploded device.
About 500 meters from the settlement, a shell suspected to be left over from World War II was discovered a week ago during railway construction works.
Qun Akim Lahaj, the village head, said that this operation has caused concern and panic among residents.
“Now citizens are a little worried because they have told us that we should stay away from up to 1000m of airspace. We should keep the windows of the houses open, secure the cars, and keep the residents away. Since KFOR is here, we are a little safer. It is KFOR, our police, our army, and we are safer. But still, there is some panic,” Lahaj said.
Resident Arian Teneqja, who lives in the Teneqja neighborhood near the place where the shell was found, said that the evacuation of the village started from his neighborhood.
“It’s a bomb left over from World War II, dropped from an airplane. It’s an 80-year-old bomb. According to the report, the residents have completely left by 9 a.m., no one is in the neighborhood, and we are waiting for the explosion to return as soon as possible,” said Teneqja.
The bomb was detonated in a controlled manner. The action was taken only after KFOR units were assured that no one was within a 1000-meter radius.
Gianluca Manfredelli, a spokesman for KFOR, said that Austrian personnel from the explosive ordnance disposal team had studied and assessed the site beforehand.
“This operation, the operation carried out by KFOR, today aims to guarantee a safe and peaceful environment for the entire population in Kosovo. This is our mandate and we will do this until its completion. The EOD team from Austria has worked in a very professional manner. They have done a lot of studies in advance, assessed and analyzed the entire area and taken all security measures to be safe,” said Manfredelli.
And, after the explosion operation was completed, police officials confirmed that there was no damage to people or property.
Commander of the police station in Kaçanik, Emrush Lalinovci, said that citizens can safely return to their homes.
“In this area we were dealing with an unexploded device. Today, KFOR successfully detonated that device and according to the information we have from KFOR, citizens can return to their homes and settlements. The road is blocked in places and for small vehicles it may be a problem to pass. At the moment everything is in order, we have no information that there was any damage of any kind,” he said.
The shell, fired about 80 years ago, was found during construction work on the Fushë-Kosovo-Hani i Elezit railway line, known as line 10.
Another explosive device found in Kaçanik, suspected to be a remnant from World War II
Another explosive device, suspected to be a remnant of World War II, was found in Kaçanik on May 1. The police report states that a person reported coming across the device in the village forest. Kosovo Security Force (KSF) units have recovered the device.
“The male Kosovar complainant reported that he had encountered an unexploded device in the village forest. The police unit secured the scene, while the KSF’s demining unit removed the device, which is suspected to be a remnant of World War II,” the police report states.
The Police have announced that the vehicle found earlier in Stagovë is larger than the one found on Thursday.