Yugoslav counter-offensive in Kosovo (1998)

Yugoslav offensive in Kosovo
Part of the Kosovo War
Map of Kosovo
Date July – 4 October 1998 Location AP Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia Result Yugoslav victory [1] [2] Full results United Nations Security Council Resolution 1199 [3] Ceasefire established in mid-October Start of the Kosovo Verification Mission and Operation Eagle Eye KLA is almost destroyed Most of the KLA is expelled from Kosovo [4] Yugoslav forces regain control over several dozen of villages, Drenica, and many key KLA strongholds [5] Establishment of Yugoslav control over whole Kosovo [6] Territorial changes Yugoslavia recaptured most of Kosovo [7] [5] [8]
Belligerents
FR Yugoslavia	Kosovo Liberation Army Mujahedeens [9] [10] [11] Supported by: United States [12]
Commanders and leaders
Slobodan Milosević Vladimir Lazarević Nebojša Pavković Vlastimir Đorđević Franko Simatović Goran Radosavljević Milorad Ulemek Sreten Lukić Goran Ostojić   † [13]	Fatmir Limaj Gani Krasniqi Hisni Kiljaj [5] Ramush Haradinaj Agim Ramadani Naim Maloku Fehmi Lladrovci   † Samidin Xhezairi-Hoxha  (WIA) Bekim Berisha   † Agim Shala   † Ismet Jashari   † Selajdin Berisha  † Bedri Shala  † Elton Zherka   † Përmet Vula   † Alija Rabić  † Abu Ismaili [14]
Units involved
Yugoslav Army Serbian police MUP Special Police Units Special Operations Unit SAJ Special Forces Russian volunteers Air Force of Serbia and Montenegro [15]	Several brigades
Strength
25,000–40,000 volunteers [7] 15,000 MUP members 12,000 soldiers [7] 52,000-67,000 in total	25,000 militants [16] 50–210 Mujahideen members [14]
Casualties and losses
27 killed [17]	367–500+ killed Hundreds killed (Per Logos)
At least 2,000 total killed 100,000–300,000 Kosovo Albanians displaced

The Yugoslav Army and Serbian Police launched a major counter-offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army in mid July, 1998. ^[18] The offensive was backed by artillery, tanks and air support. ^{[19] [18]} The offensive had the goal of driving the KLA away from the positions it gained during the summer offensive. The Yugoslav offensive began with an attack on Orahovac and the recapture of the town by Yugoslav forces, ^[19] which continued until 4 October. ^[20] Ten days later, on October 14, the American diplomat Richard Holbrooke and Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević signed a ceasefire agreement which resulted in the temporary withdrawal of Yugoslav forces from Kosovo. ^{[21] [22]}

Prelude

Main article: KLA Summer offensive (1998)

In 1996, the Kosovo Liberation Army began attacking the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian Police in Kosovo. Their goal was to either separate the province from the rest of Yugoslavia or to make it part of Albania. In the beginning, the KLA started with hit-and-run attacks. ^[23] The group quickly gained popularity among young Kosovo Albanians, many of whom favoured a more aggressive approach and rejected the non-violent resistance of Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova. ^[24] The organization received a significant boost in 1997, when a civil war in neighbouring Albania led to thousands of weapons being looted from depots of the Albanian Armed Forces. Many of these weapons ended up in the hands of the KLA. ^[25] The KLA also received substantial funds from its involvement in drug trades. ^{[26] [27]} After the VJ and MUP attacked the compound of KLA leader Adem Jashari in March 1998, the popularity of KLA skyrocketed. The attack motivated thousands of Kosovo Albanians to join the KLA, starting the Albanian uprising that eventually erupted in the spring of 1998. ^[28] In the summer of 1998 the KLA launched a large scale offensive against Yugoslav forces with the goal of capturing territories in Kosovo and expanding their control. ^[29] The KLA managed to capture somewhere around 40% of Kosovo ^{[30] [31]} which triggered a Yugoslav offensive in mid July. ^[32]

July–August

The Kosovo Liberation Army launched a full-scale assault on the town of Orahovac, in southwestern Kosovo on July 17, 1998, which resulted in the KLA capturing the town. ^{[33] [34]} Around the same time, 1,000 KLA soldiers attempted to cross the border into Kosovo, but failed. ^{[35] [36]} The fight ended with 10 casualties on the KLA side and only 200 militants were able to cross the border, with several others retreating to Albania. ^[36] After 3 days of intense fighting, Orahovac was liberated by the Yugoslav forces. ^{[37] [38]} Around 25 KLA militants were killed during the battle per KLA sources. ^[39]

Later on, Yugoslav authorities launched a six-day military offensive on July 28. The offensive had the goal of capturing key portions of Kosovo from the KLA. ^{[40] [41]} During 28-29 July, Yugoslav forces under the command of Slobodan Milošević launched an offensive with the goal of retaking the town of Mališevo, which was an important KLA stronghold at the time. ^{[33] [42] [43] [44]} The KLA suffered 110 casualties ^{[45] [46]} and 10,000 Kosovo Albanians fled the town. ^[47] On 16 August the last KLA stronghold, the town of Junik was captured by Yugoslav forces, forcing the remaining KLA soldiers to withdraw towards surrounding hills and forests. ^[48] 6 Yugoslav policemen and soldiers were killed while the KLA suffered 13 losses including several commanders like Bekim Berisha. ^{[49] [50]} 12,000 Albanian civilians were displaced and 28 were killed. ^[51]

September–October

Main article: Yugoslav September offensive

On 1 September, Yugoslav forces launched an offensive against KLA strongholds in Prizren. After several days of fighting, they managed to successfully capture several places and KLA strongholds in Prizren. ^{[52] [53]} The offensive resulted in a total of 35 casualties on the KLA side. ^[54] After the offensive in Prizren, Yugoslav forces disarmed Albanian villagers. ^[55] On 9 September, Yugoslav forces mounted an offensive and captured Prilep, Reznić, Dashinoc, Gložana and Lake Radonjić. ^{[56] [57]} On 22 September, Yugoslav forces launched offensive in Central Drenica that lasted until 26 September. Yugoslav forces managed to capture Gladno Selo, Gornje and Donje Obrinje and other places. ^{[58] [59] [60]}

Aftermath

The Yugoslav offensive was considered a success. ^{[1] [2]} It resulted in the recapture of most of the territory in Kosovo, which was previously held by the KLA, including Drenica, and other important KLA strongholds in Mališevo, Junik, Prizren, Orahovac, Suva Reka, etc. ^{[52] [7] [5] [8]} The KLA was forced to withdraw from one-third of Kosovo's territory. ^{[19] [18]} According to a Human Rights Watch report, over 200 Kosovar villages were destroyed in the conflict. ^[61] Due to the ceasefire in October, the Yugoslav forces withdrew from most of the areas they recaptured from the KLA allowing the KLA to re-establish control in the Albanian-populated areas that didn't had any Yugoslav military presence. ^[62]

The KLA suffered hundreds of deaths during the offensive, according to Serbian historian Aleksandar Logos. ^[5] An official list published by the Humanitarian Law Center recorded the deaths of 367 KLA militants, and 8 others were declared missing between 22 July and 4 October. ^[17] The German historian Jens Reuter wrote that the KLA had "lost more than 500 soldiers and key strategic positions as well" during the offensive. ^[16] The offensive caused the near destruction of the KLA. ^{[52] [63]} Logos did not estimate the Yugoslav casualties. Another report from the Humanitarian Law Center recorded the deaths of 24 Yugoslav soldiers and policemen during 22 July and 4 October. ^[17] In an interview for the New York Times, Naim Maloku, a senior KLA officer and former Yugoslav Army officer, said that the Yugoslav forces encountered strong resistance from the KLA in the Likovac–Gornje Obrinje area. He stated that "we took weapons from 47 Serbs". ^{[61] [64]}

As of September 1998, there were 2,000 recorded deaths during the conflict, including civilians. ^{[61] [18]} The estimates for displaced Kosovo Albanians varied widely, ranging from 100,000 ^[5] to 150,000, ^[65] 200,000 ^[66] and even up to 300,000. ^{[61] [67]}

See also

• Battle of Junik
• Mališevo offensive
• Yugoslav September offensive

References

1. "Key dates in Kosovo's drive for independence". nbcnews.com. 22 February 2008. Retrieved 3 December 2025. July–September 1998 — KLA seizes control of 40 percent of Kosovo before being routed in Serb offensive.
2. "NATO bombs Yugoslavia: March 24, 1999". history.com. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2025. In July, the KLA launched an offensive across Kosovo, seizing control of nearly half the province before being routed in a Serbian counteroffensive later that summer.
3. "A Kosovo Chronology". www.pbs.org.
4. "Analysis: KLA rides out the storm". news.bbc.co.uk. 9 April 1999.
5. Logos, Aleksandar A. (2019). Istorija Srba 1, Dopuna 4; Istorija Srba 5 (in Serbian). Beograd. p. 307. ISBN   978-86-85117-46-6. Serbian[From July to October 1998, around 15,000 members of the MUP of Serbia, with the help of the Pristina Corps of the VJ, pushed the KLA out of several dozen villages, Drenica, and the main KLA stronghold in Mališevo (about 5 kilometers north of Orahovac). Hundreds of terrorists were killed, and with part of the KLA members who escaped, about 100,000 civilians left their homes and moved to Montenegro and Albania, or took refuge in forested areas in Kosovo itself. During August 1998, the FRY restored power over almost the entire Kosmet, and it was discovered that in the village of Klečka, Serbs, women and children kidnapped by the KLA under the command of Fatmir Ljimaj, Gani Krasnići and Hisni Kiljaj were killed.]
6. Dag Henriksen (2013). NATO's Gamble: Combining Diplomacy and Airpower in the Kosovo Crisis, 1998-1999. Naval Institute Press. p. 145. ISBN   978-1-61251-555-7.
7. International Crisis Group (ICG) (2 September 1998). "Kosovo's Long Hot Summer: Briefing on Military, Humanitarian and Political Developments in Kosovo". refworld.org. Retrieved 3 December 2025. While the UCK claimed to hold some 40 percent of Kosovo in mid-July 1998 — a claim which was impossible to verify since observers were denied access to many areas — the Serbian security forces' summer offensive has successfully rolled back the insurrection's early gains ... At the end of July 1998 Jane's Defence Weekly estimated the number of Kalashnikovs in the hands of ethnic Albanians to have been about 25,000 before the spring upsurge in fighting, and that it has probably doubled since then. According to the same source, the Kalashnikov tally for the Serbian side was as follows: between 25,000 and 40,000 in the hands of local Serbs, 12,000 with the Yugoslav Army, and 15,000 with the Serbian police (forces of the Interior Ministry or MUP), with the potential supply from Serbia proper being practically unlimited.
8. Randáček 2008, p. 41.
9. "Serbia Info News - Terrorism".
10. "Witness of Kosovar war crimes found dead in Germany".
11. Shaul Shay (2007). Islamic Terror and the Balkans. Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. p. 89. ISBN   978-1-4128-0931-3.
12. Dag Henriksen (2013). NATO's Gamble: Combining Diplomacy and Airpower in the Kosovo Crisis, 1998-1999. Naval Institute Press. p. 147. ISBN   978-1-61251-555-7.
13. "Minister Vučević visits family of Lt. Col. Goran Ostojić killed in Košare". mod.rs. 13 April 2024. Archived from the original on 18 April 2025.
14. Shay, Shaul (2007). Islamic Terror and the Balkans. Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers. p. 89. ISBN   978-1-4128-0931-3. The unit was established in May 1998 in the Drenica area. It included 210 fighters, many of who were Muslim volunteers from Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Saudi Arabia. The unit's commander, who was called "Abu Ismaili," had acquired combat experience during the Bosnian war, when he had served as the commander of a Mujahedin unit.
15. Ramet, Sabrina (1999). Balkan Babel . Avalon Publishing. p. 33. ISBN   9780813335810.
16. Reuter 1999, p. 192.
17. "List of killed, missing and disappeared, 1998–2000". hlc-rdc.org. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
18. "26 years since the publication of the report "Terror Week in Drenica"". kosovapress.com. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
19. Pavković 2000, p. 191.
20. Randáček 2008, p. 42.
21. Gow 2008, p. 19. sfn error: no target: CITEREFGow2008 (help)
22. Daalder, Ivo H. (18 October 1998). "Peace at any price? Kosovo deal costs Milosevic little, is unlikely to resolve crisis". brookings.edu. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
23. Judah 2002, p. 137. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJudah2002 (help)
24. Dušan Janjić (2012). "Kosovo under the Milošević Regime". In Charles W. Ingrao; Thomas A. Emmert (eds.). Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies: A Scholars' Initiative (2nd ed.). West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 293. ISBN   978-1-55753-617-4.
25. Judah 2002, pp. 127–130. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJudah2002 (help)
26. Sörensen, Jens Stilhoff (2009). State Collapse and Reconstruction in the Periphery: Political Economy, Ethnicity and Development in Yugoslavia, Serbia and Kosovo. New York City: Berghahn Books. p. 203. ISBN   978-1-84545-560-6.
27. Jonsson, Michael (2014). "The Kosovo Conflict: From Humanitarian Intervention to State Capture". In Cornell, Svante; Jonsson, Michael (eds.). Conflict, Crime, and the State in Postcommunist Eurasia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 184. ISBN   978-0-81224-565-3.
28. Judah 2002, p. 138-141. sfn error: no target: CITEREFJudah2002 (help)
29. "Koktsidis & Dam 2008, p. 170" (PDF).
30. Perritt, Henry H. (2010). Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency. University of Illinois Press. p. 70. ISBN   9780252092138.
31. Krieger, Heike (2001-07-12). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN   978-0-521-80071-6.
32. "World: Europe Analysis: The KLA's armed struggle". 21 September 1999. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
33. Krieger, Heike (2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation, 1974–1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN   978-0-521-80071-6.
34. "Rebels Claim First Capture Of a City In Kosovo". nytimes.com. 20 July 1998.
35. "Shells Said to Fall on Albania; 30 Rebels Reported Killed" . nytimes.com. 19 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
36. "Albania angry as Kosovo fighting intensifies". news.bbc.co.uk. 19 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
37. "Serbs 'retake' Kosovo town intensifies". news.bbc.co.uk. 20 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
38. Čupić, Mirko (2006). Oteta zemlja: Kosovo i Metohija (in Serbian). Nolit. p. 277. ISBN   978-8-619-02392-4. Serbian[Only after three days, on July 19/20, strong police and military forces liberated Orahovac. In that battle, around 60 terrorists were killed, and two police officers also died ...]
39. Myrtaj, Nezir. "Dëshmorët e Ushtrisë Çlirimtare të Kosovës" (PDF). pashtriku.org.
40. Smith, R. Jeffrey (31 July 1998). "Serbians Targeted Kosovo Villages With any Rebel Links, Refugees Say" . washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
41. "Yugoslavia: Milosevic Says Kosovo Offensive Completed". rferl.org. 30 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
42. Smith, R. Jeffrey (28 July 1998). "Serbs Said to Take Rebel-held City" . washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
43. "Serbs Capture Guerrilla Stronghold in Kosovo as Rebels Flee" . nytimes.com. 28 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
44. "Negotiation breakthrough in Kosovo". news.bbc.co.uk. 29 July 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
45. Randáček 2008, p. 40.
46. Reuter 1999, pp. 191–192.
47. "Kosovo: Thousands of Ethnic Albanians Flee Town of Malisevo". newsroom.ap.org. 23 November 2007. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
48. "Last KLA stronghold falls to Serbs". BBC News. 16 August 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
49. "After 20-day Siege, Serbs Capture Key Rebel Supply Town In Kosovo". Chicago Tribune. 17 August 1998. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
50. Humanitarian Law Center (30 September 2011). "Human Losses in Kosovo". HLC. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
51. "House of Commons - Foreign Affairs - Minutes of Evidence". publications.parliament.uk. UK Parliament. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
52. Galović, Milan (23 September 2023). "Albanska paravojska razbijena u 27 akcija". politika.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 3 December 2025. Serbian[In such a situation, the Supreme Defense Council of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia made a decision to suppress the armed rebellion in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. From July 25 to September 29, 1998, in the effort to suppress the armed rebellion, an offensive was carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Yugoslav Army against the terrorist paramilitary KLA in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. The activities were not directed against the Albanian people," says Konjikovac. The Prizren Brigade, within its area of responsibility, conducted road deblockades, dismantling and destruction of terrorist units, disarmament, and the liberation of populated areas. During the aforementioned period, as well as at the beginning of October, this unit successfully carried out 13 anti-terrorist combat operations, thus accomplishing all assigned tasks. The brigade liberated villages that the terrorists had used as strongholds in the municipalities of Prizren, Đakovica, Suva Reka, Orahovac, Gora, and Mališevo. By the end of September 1998, we had established control over our area of responsibility, suppressed the armed rebellion, and fully dominated the situation. After the completion of combat activities, what remained was to disarm a few more populated areas, explains Konjikovac.]
53. "Beteja për liri a vdekje në Vrri-Prizren, midis UÇK-së dhe forcave serbe". 1 September 2018.
54. "Kosovo Conflict Chronology: September 1998 - March 1999, p. 5".
55. Weller, Marc (1999). The Crisis in Kosovo 1989-1999. Documents and Analysis Publ. p. 269. ISBN   9781903033005.
56. Archives, L. A. Times (1998-09-09). "New Serbian Offensive Said to Be Underway in Separatist Province". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
57. "Trial Chamber Judgment - para 148". U.N. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
58. "Тенкови на Косову и Метохији 98". www.srpskioklop.paluba.info.
59. "BBC News | Europe | Serb offensive continues". news.bbc.co.uk.
60. "A Week of Terror in Drenica: The Fighting at Gornje Obrinje". www.hrw.org.
61. "Gornje Obrinje: Massacre in the Forest". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
62. "Analysis: KLA rides out the storm". news.bbc.co.uk. 9 April 1999. But then during the ceasefire that followed in October the ethnic Albanian guerrillas recovered much ground by moving back to those predominantly Albanian-inhabited regions which had little, if any, Serb security presence.
63. "A Week of Terror in Drenica: The Response of the Yugoslav Authorities". www.hrw.org.
64. Perlez, Jane (15 November 1998). "Ethnic Albanians Recount Massacre of a Family in Kosovo" . nytimes.com. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
65. O'Connor, Mike (1 August 1998). "Serbs Say Kosovo Drive Is Over, but Little Changes on the Ground" . nytimes.com. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
66. OSCE & ODIHR 1999, p. 29.
67. "Operation Eagle Eye, The NATO Kosovo Verification Mission". afsouth.nato.int. Archived from the original on 10 April 2000. Retrieved 3 December 2025.

Bibliography

• Pavković, Aleksandar (2000). The Fragmentation of Yugoslavia. London, UK: Springer. ISBN   978-0-230-28584-2.
• Randáček, Vladimír (2008). The OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission, 1998–1999 (PDF) (Bc. thesis). Prague, Czechia: Charles University. [ISBN unspecified]
• OSCE; ODIHR (5 November 1999). "The OSCE–KVM Human Rights operation". Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen, As Told. Warsaw, Poland: OSCE & ODIHR. [ISBN unspecified]
• Reuter, Jens (1999). "Kosovo 1998". In IFSH (ed.). OSCE Yearbook 1998 (PDF). Institut für Friedensforschung und Sicherheitspolitik. pp. 183–194. ISBN   978-3-7890-6071-7.