Central Drenica offensive

Central Drenica offensive
Part of the Kosovo War and the Drenica massacres
Date 22–26 September 1998 Location Central Drenica, AP Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia (present day Kosovo) Result KLA victory [1] Yugoslav troops withdraw from Likovac and the Obrinje region due to international pressure [2] [3] Yugoslav forces massacre 35 Albanian civilians in Gornje Obrinje as retaliation.
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army	FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Mujë Krasniqi Fehmi Lladrovci   † Sylejman Selimi Ilaz Kodra [4]	Slobodan Milosevic Vlastimir Đorđević Nebojša Pavković
Units involved
114th brigade	Yugoslav armed forces Yugoslav Police
Strength
Unknown	Unknown number of soldiers backed-up by tanks and armored vehicles.
Casualties and losses
Many killed [5]	14 killed 3 tanks destroyed 1 armored vehicle destroyed

The Central Drenica offensive was an offensive undertaken by the Yugoslav army against the Kosovo Liberation Army in the villages of Likovac, Gornje Obrinje, Glanasela and other villages in the central area of the Drenica region. The offensive lasted between 22 and 26 September 1998.

Background

By 1997, Albanians had begun to refer to Drenica as "liberated territory" because of the local KLA presence. The government considered Drenica a hotbed of "Albanian terrorism." Drenica was a KLA stronghold throughout and prior to the Kosovo War, and saw many armed conflicts against the security forces of FR Yugoslavia. It was also a safe place for refugees coming from other parts of Kosovo. In 1998, Serb police and military launched a campaign in Drenica that terrorised the local population and culminated with the Attack on Prekaz against the Jashari family. Serb forces killed 80 Albanians, of which 25 were women and children, and former Serbian president Milan Milutinović commanded the massacre. ^[6]

Offensive

On 21 September Yugoslav forces began reorganizing their troops for an offensive in Central Drenica as well as backing them up with tanks and armored vehicles. Upon seeing this, the KLA divided their forces in the region into three positions. The second position located in the village of Glanasela commanded by general Fehmi Lladrovci was the first to be attacked by the Yugoslav forces on 22 September with the assault on the village lasting for eight hours. During the fighting the Yugoslav troops attempted to reorganize on the nearby road, leading to the KLA firing at their tanks with rocket launchers, destroying three tanks. The Yugoslav forces quickly began attacking the KLA from behind, utilizing armored vehicles to fire at the KLA, killing general Fehmi Lladrovci. Upon seeing this the remaining KLA soldiers fled, besides Fehmi Lladrovci's wife, Xhefë Lladrovci who stayed in Glanasela, resisting the Yugoslav troops being killed. After the fall of the second defensive position and the death of Fehmi Lladrovci the KLA forces in the area came under the command of Mujë Krasniqi and Sylejman Selimi. ^{[7] [8] [3]}

The KLA forces continued resisting the Yugoslav troops inflicting many casualties by using hit-and-run tactics, attacking Yugoslav forces before retreating to the nearby villages. ^[9] During the fighting, on 25 September an anti-tank mine placed by the KLA was detonated on the Likovac-Gornje Obrinje road by a Yugoslav police armored vehicle resulting in the death of five officers and the destruction of the armored vehicle. ^[10] The fighting lasted until 26 September.

Gornje Obrinje massacre

Main article: Gornje Obrinje massacre

Due to the mine attack on the Likovac-Gornje Obrinje road and not being able to penetrate the KLA positions, the Yugoslav forces killed 21 civilians of the Deliaj family from Donje Obrinje on 26 September in a nearby forest. Among the 21 killed, 9 were women and 5 were children. The same day the Yugoslav police tortured another 14 Albanian civilians and eventually executed 13 of them. The next day on the 27th HRW journalists arrived to the area and documented the massacre, leading to the event garnering Western attention. ^[11]

Casualties

KLA casualties

During the offensive the KLA 5 casualties. The deaths on the KLA side were Fehmi Lladrovci, Xhevë Lladrovci, Shefqet Zeka, Fatime Hetemi and Asllan Fazliu. Some time after the fighting on 22 September, a group of seven militants were able to reach Glanasela and retrieve the bodies of the fallen soldiers. ^[7]

Yugoslav casualties

According to author Dag Henriksen, the Yugoslav forces suffered 14 deaths during the offensive, ^[1] while PBS, despite not giving an exact number, placed the casualties on the Yugoslav side at "more than a dozen". ^[12] During the mine attack on 25 September an armored vehicle was also destroyed. ^[10] According to "radio kosova e lire" the KLA were also able to destroy three Yugoslav tanks. ^[7]

Civilian casualties

According to the Humans Rights Watch (HWR) 35 civilians were killed including women and children in Gornje Obrinje. 21 of the victims were members of the Deliaj family including a 5-month old baby. ^[11]

Aftermath

On 15 October the NATO Kosovo Verification Mission (KVM) Agreement for a ceasefire was signed, and the deadline for withdrawal was extended to 27 October. ^[13] Difficulties implementing the agreement were reported, as clashes continued between government troops and the guerrillas. ^[14] The Serbian withdrawal commenced on or around 25 October 1998, and Operation Eagle Eye commenced on 30 October. ^[13]

References

1. Dag Henriksen (15 November 2013). NATO's Gamble: Combining Diplomacy and Airpower in the Kosovo Crisis, 1998-1999. Naval Institute Press. pp. 132–. ISBN   978-1-61251-555-7.
2. https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosovo/Obrinje6-04.htm
3. Mehmeti, Arsim (27 November 2024). "Ofensiva serbe në Drenicë 22-26 shtator 1998". radiokosovaelire.com.
4. "Ilaz Ismajl Kodra (3.5.1966 – 30.4.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 6 September 2024.
5. "26 vjet nga rënia e Fehmi dhe Xhevë Lladrovcit". zeri.info. 22 September 2024.
6. Bytyçi, Enver (2015). Coercive diplomacy of NATO in Kosovo. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 88–89. ISBN   978-1-4438-7272-0.
7. "Beteja e 22 shtatorit 1998, në të cilën ranë Komandanti emblematik i luftës së UÇK-së, Fehmi Lladrovci dhe Xhevë Lladrovci". radiokosovaelire.com. 22 September 2022.
8. ""Më e shtrenjtë është liria se jeta", si ndodhi beteja e 22 shtatorit të vitit 1998 ku ra heroikisht Fehmi Lladrovci?". gazetablic.com. 22 September 2024.
9. Fred C. Abrahams (15 May 2015). Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe. NYU Press. pp. 264–. ISBN   978-1-4798-9668-4.
10. International Campaign to Ban Land Mines (1999). Landmine Monitor Report 1999: Toward a Mine-free World. Human Rights Watch. pp. 831–. ISBN   978-1-56432-231-9.
11. Human Rights Watch (1999). "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: A Week of Terror in Drenica, Humanitarian Law Violations in Kosovo".
12. "A Kosovo Chronology | War In Europe | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2024-07-24.
13. "Operation Allied Force". NATO. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27.
14. Watson, Paul (1998-10-20). "Serb Troops Digging In To Battle Kosovo Rebels". Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 2013-06-14. Retrieved 2012-11-08.