Experts from Kosovo have recovered the remains of seven people from a mass grave, possibly linked to the disappearance of 23 Kosovo Albanians during the war of 1998-1999.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced the discovery of a mass grave in the village of Kalluder, where the remains of seven people were recovered.

This grave could contain the remains of over 20 missing Kosovo Albanians from the time of the 1998-1999 war, when Serbian forces fought against the Albanian guerrilla. Approximately 1,600 people remain missing from this conflict, and the discovery of mass graves is rare. Kurti stated that the remains could belong to a group of intellectuals from Mitrovica, abducted on April 19, 1999. Authorities have arrested two Serbs in connection with this case, and Kurti has called on the international community to pressure Belgrade to open the archives of the Yugoslav army.

The conflict led to the deaths of approximately 13,000 people, mostly Kosovo Albanians, and the tense relations between Kosovo and Serbia complicate the search for missing persons. A joint commission of Kosovo and Serbian experts has begun to collaborate to locate the mass graves.