AS the 82 Kosovar refugees settle into their temporary home at the Geoffrey Kershaw Centre in Bury, horrific tales are slowly emerging of life at the mercy of Serb soldiers.

Villages have been razed to the ground, people executed on the spot for no reason, and relatives have disappeared without a trace.

Speaking to the Bury Times through an interpreter, Kosovar refugee and father-of-two, Agim told how his nine-year-old daughter's tears helped save his life when he was "selected" for immediate execution by Serb special forces.

Agim, who doesn't want his surname revealed for fear of reprisals when the war is over, said: "Our village was surrounded by the armed forces and the specialist units began burning houses and killing people.

"My wife's first cousin, who was only aged 22, was killed by the soldiers. Other relatives were taken away but nothing is known of their whereabouts. "The soldiers wanted to kill me, to execute me. My daughter Adelina was holding on to me on one side. On the other stood one of the soldiers. They let me go because Adelina was crying and screaming."

Agim's wife Nazmije (38) was also threatened with execution unless she handed over her gold wedding ring.

She said: "A soldier had already ripped a necklace from my neck and then told me to take off my wedding ring. I couldn't get it off. One of the soldiers said he would shoot me and take both my finger and the ring from my body."

Fleeing their village, the family of four found their way to a refugee camp in Macedonia before they were among the fortunates who would leave their war-torn country for safe havens.

Agim (39) said of his arrival in Bury: "We are all very happy to be here and with the warm welcome we have received.

"We have had time to relax and get some sleep although my children have had restless nights.

His daughter Adelina added: "I like the way we have been looked after but I cannot wait to get back to Kosovo."

Pictured enjoying her new home in Bury is refugee Arda Tahiri, 7, playing with new freind Alicia Marsden, 8, of Rasmsbottom.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.