The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It was fought between the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia,which controlled Kosovo before the war,and the Kosovo Albanian separatist militia known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The conflict ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo.
The Kosovo Liberation Army was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo,the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians,from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the 1990s. Albanian nationalism was a central tenet of the KLA and many in its ranks supported the creation of a Greater Albania,which would encompass all Albanians in the Balkans,stressing Albanian culture,ethnicity and nation.
Ibrahim Rugova was a Kosovo-Albanian politician,scholar,and writer,who served as the President of the partially recognised Republic of Kosova,serving from 1992 to 2000 and as President of Kosovo from 2002 until his death in 2006. He oversaw a popular struggle for independence,advocating a peaceful resistance to Yugoslav rule and lobbying for U.S. and European support,especially during the Kosovo War.
Agim Çeku,also known by the Croatians as the nickname Commander Scorched Earth,is an Albanian politician from Kosovo,the former minister of Security Forces in Kosovo and formerly the prime minister. Of military background,he was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) that fought against Serbian rule in 1998–1999,earlier being a commander in the Croatian War of Independence in the Croatian Army.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosova was a military of Republic of Kosova,paramilitary organization and military wing of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK),the main right-wing party in Kosovo established by Ibrahim Rugova and Bujar Bukoshi. It was active during the Kosovo War from August 1998 until the war's end in June 1999.
Drenica,also known as the Drenica Valley,is a hilly region in central Kosovo,covering roughly around 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities,Drenas and Skenderaj,and several villages in Klina,Zubin Potok,Mitrovica and Vushtrri. It is located west of the capital,Pristina.
The Battle of Košare was fought during the Kosovo War between the FR Yugoslav Forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),the latter supported by the NATO air forces and Albanian Army. The battle was fought around Košare on the border between FR Yugoslavia and Albania from 9 April 1999 until 10 June 1999 during the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia.
Sylejman Selimi is the former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army,who was convicted of war crimes for the torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners at the Likovac detention center during the Kosovo War. After the war,he served as Security Force of the Republic of Kosovo;he left this position in 2011 and became the ambassador to Albania.
Bekim Berisha was a Kosovo Albanian soldier who gained prominence in the Yugoslav Wars. He served in the Croatian Army during the Croatian War of Independence. He subsequently fought in the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina,and later also in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),where he was named a general. He was killed in 1998,during the Battle of Junik,and was posthumously promoted to Brigadier General.
Agim Ramadani also known with nickname "KATANA",was an Albanian commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),an ethnic Albanian paramilitary organization that sought the independence of Kosovo from Serbia. He was killed in action during the Battle of Košare. After the war,he was declared Hero of Kosovo.
The Battle of Junik was fought during the Kosovo War between the ethnic Albanian paramilitary organization known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the security forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia over the town of Junik in western Kosovo.
Zahir Pajaziti was one of the founders and early commanders of Kosovo Liberation Army. He was the first Commander of the KLA,known as "First Gun of Freedom".
An incident took place on the Albania–Yugoslav border in April 1999 when the Yugoslav Army shelled several Albanian border towns around Krumë,Tropojë. In these villages,refugees were being housed after fleeing the ongoing war in Kosovo by crossing into Albania. On 13 April 1999,Yugoslav infantry entered Albanian territory to close off an area that was used by the Kosovo Liberation Army to stage attacks against Yugoslav targets.
The Leaders of the Yugoslav Wars listed below comprise the important political and military figures of the Yugoslav wars.
The Insurgency in Kosovo began in 1995,following the Dayton Agreement that ended the Bosnian War. In 1996,the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began attacking Serbian governmental buildings and police stations. This insurgency would lead to the more intense Kosovo War in February 1998.
Rrustem Berisha is a Kosovar politician and military officer. He was Minister of Defense in Haradinaj cabinet. During the Yugoslav Wars,he fought in the Croatian War of Independence and the Kosovo War. He was a commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the Battle of Košare.
Operation Fenix was an operation launched by militants of the KLA's "cobra" unit,which conducted two ambushes out of Albanian territory near the border outpost of Koshare on Yugoslav forces. Six Yugoslav Army personnel were killed. The KLA suffered no casualties,and captured Yugoslav ammunition,equipment and looted the dead soldiers.
Sali Çekaj was a Kosovo Albanian political activist,rewowned commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo (FARK) and Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA),who was killed during the Battle of Kosharë.
Xhezair Shaqiri,also known as Commander Hoxha,is a Macedonian politician of Albanian descent,former member of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and commander of the National Liberation Army (NLA).
Bilall Syla,is a former commander of Brigade 121 of the Kosovo Liberation Army,including during the Kosovo War. The KLA was an ethnic-Albanian paramilitary organisation that fought for the secession of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) during the 1990s and the eventual creation of a Greater Albania.
SFR Yugoslavia (until 1990)
Kosovo (since 1998)