BRIEF: War Crimes Charges Brought Against Serb Fighters

BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia's war crimes prosecutor has filed charges against four of Serbia's former paramilitary fighters.  The charges stem from a massacre of 19 ethnic Albanian citizens in Kosovo in March 1999.  The massacre is considered to be one of the worst crimes of Kosovo's 1998-1999 war because only five children survived. 

In March 1999 the accused were part of a an elite "Scorpions" unit that gunned down a group of 19 civilians - some of whom were women, children, and elderly persons.  It is believed that the massacre was a retaliation against the start of a NATO bombing campaign that halted a Serbian crackdown on Albanian separatists and eventually forced Serb troops out of Kosovo. 

The four men were arrested last year.  They are identified as Zeljko Djukich, Dragan Medich, Dragan Borojevich, and Modrag Solaja.

For more information, please see:

CNN - Serb fighters charged over kosovo massacre - 21 April 2008