Kosovo authorities have discovered the remains of at least 23 people in three suspected mass graves believed to be linked to the ethnic conflict that ravaged the country in the late 1990s.
A joint statement by prosecutors, police and forensic investigators said skeletal remains believed to belong to at least 23 individuals were recovered during excavations in the Zubin Potok area in northern Kosovo.
Officials said the remains are suspected to be those of ethnic Albanians who were allegedly abducted in Mitrovica and killed in the spring of 1999. However, authorities said definitive identification will only be possible after forensic examinations and DNA testing are completed.
The Kosovo War, fought between 1998 and 1999 between ethnic Albanian separatists and Serbian forces, left about 13,000 people dead and thousands missing. Nearly three decades later, around 1,600 people are still officially unaccounted for.
The latest excavations began earlier this month as authorities intensified efforts to locate victims of the conflict.
Three local men have also been arrested in connection with the investigation. Prosecutors said they are being investigated on suspicion of committing war crimes against the civilian population.
Authorities said DNA analysis of the recovered remains could take several months as investigators continue efforts to establish the identities of the victims and determine the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
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