An angry Kosovo Albanian farmer has lashed out at former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, accusing him of responsibility for unimaginable cruelty.

Fehim Elshani told The Hague war crimes tribunal that Serb forces the former Yugoslav leader sent to Kosovo in March, 1999 had only one purpose -to exterminate the people. He described how Serb troops swept through Nogavac and other Southern Kosovo villages, forcing people from their homes, burning houses and killing some of the residents. He said he himself buried three elderly women burned to death by the Serbs.

Mr. Milosevic attempted to question the witness about activities of ethnic Albanian guerrillas in the area, but Mr. Elshani insisted he hand no knowledge of the guerrillas, the Kosovo Liberation Army. He called the former Yugoslav leader's repeated questions on the subject a provocation.

Earlier, judges excused a witness from cross-examination because the man told the court he felt too ill to continue. The court released Agim Zeqiri despite protests from Mr. Milosevic, who branded the decision "impermissible".

On Wednesday Mr. Zeqiri, a farmer, told the court how uniformed government forces surrounded his village in March, 1999, and later burned part of the community. He described shooting and said he was one of only two members of his family of 18 to survive. He said he suffers lasting injuries from beatings by Serb soldiers.

Mr. Milosevic is conducting his own defense. The former Yugoslav leader, who was educated as a lawyer, rejects the legitimacy of the war crimes tribunal. He faces 66 charges, including crimes against humanity, arising from the conflicts in Croatia and Kosovo and genocide in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.

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