Yugoslav offensive in Drenica (1999)

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Yugoslav offensive in Drenica
Part of Kosovo War and Drenica massacres
Drenica region.png
Map of the Drenica region, where the offensive took place
Date20–31 March 1999
Location
Drenica, AP Kosovo, Yugoslavia (now Drenica, Kosovo)
Result

Inconclusive [1]

  • KLA withdrew from some places during offensive [2]
  • KLA retains presence in Drenica despite FRY military activity [1]
  • Withdrawal of Yugoslav troops on 31 March 1999 and Return of some Albanian refugees [3]
Territorial
changes
Belligerents
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Kosovo Liberation Army Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Ilaz Kodra
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Sami Lushtaku [8]
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Sylejman Selimi
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Ilaz Dërguti [8]
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Besim Mala
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Avdyl Kodra (WIA) [10]
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Malush Ahmeti [8]
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Jakup Krasniqi
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Rasim Kiçina
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Alush Istogu [9]
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Murat Kukaj [9] 		Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Nebojša Pavković [14]
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Sreten Lukić [14]
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Vladimir Lazarević [14]
Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Vlastimir Đorđević [14]
Units involved
 Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Yugoslav Army
Patch of the Serbian Police (1994-2002).svg Serbian police
Strength
Emblema e UCK-se.svg Four brigades Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Unknown, many armored combat vehicles
Casualties and losses
Emblema e UCK-se.svg 14 killed, [15] 2 wounded [10] Flag of Serbia and Montenegro (1992-2006).svg Unknown but many [16] [17] , One combat vehicle damaged in Prekaz [18]
Flag of Albania.svg 93-130 civilians killed in Izbica; 19 civilians killed in Padalishtë, 10 executed in Skenderaj
Flag of Albania.svg 4,500 refugees [14]

In late March 1999, the Yugoslav Army and the Serbian Police conducted an offensive against the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the Drenica region during the Kosovo War. [6] [19] The main goal of the offensive was to crush the KLA in Drenica and take control over the region. [17]

Contents

Background

The Drenica region was a major stronghold of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during and prior to the war. [20] Skenderaj was a KLA stronghold, [21] while the status of Drenas during the Conflict is disputed. Some sources state that Drenas was a KLA stronghold, [22] while others claim that Yugoslav forces held the city of Drenas. [19] After the Yugoslav September offensive and a previous offensive in Drenica, a ceasefire agreement was signed in October 1998 for a Yugoslav withdrawal from certain areas in Kosovo. The Kosovo Verification Mission was formed to Monitor parties' compliance with the agreement, Report any breaches to the OSCE, and to help affected civilians in Kosovo, report on roadblocks, oversee elections, ensure that independent and fair police service was set up. [23] After the massacre in Račak, peace negotiations started in Rambouillet, France. The Kosovo Albanian side signed the agreement on 18 March 1999, however the refusal of the Yugoslav and Serbian side to sign the accords led to the withdrawal of the KVM from Kosovo and the start of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. [24] After the KVM monitors left on 20 March, tensions escalated even more in Kosovo, especially in Drenica. [19]

Events during the Offensive

20-27 March Start of the Yugoslav offensive

Following KLA attacks on police stations in Skenderaj and Lluzhan [25] , the offensive began on 20 March when the Yugoslav forces attacked the village of Çikatovë e Vjeter to target KLA positions there. They advanced towards the area from the direction of the Feronikel Plant in Drenas. [19] Çikatovë e Vjeter was captured by Yugoslav forces on 22 March. [4] From 20 to 21 March, Yugoslav troops had targeted the KLA stronghold of Skenderaj, during the offensive on Skenderaj, 10 civilians were executed, despite the overwhelming attack, there were no reports of the City of Skenderaj switching hands. [13] In late March, the Yugoslav forces had shelled villages in the Skenderaj Muncipality, leading to Albanian Civilians from many villages to flee to Çirez, the Yugoslav Army and Police then attacked the villages of Çirez, Izbica, Ozrim, Runik and Leçinë which they eventually entered and captured the areas. [6] Civilians later fled into areas like Tushilë and Rakinica, which were still under KLA control. [6] [11]

Battle of Polac

On 22 March, two days after the KVM withdrew from Kosovo, fighting had taken place in the village of Polac. The KLA lost control over the village and withdrew from Polac, leading to the Temporary Yugoslav capture of Polac, while the nearby village of Prekaz was shelled by Serbian forces. [7]

Battle of Banja

One day after the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia had begun, Yugoslav forces on 25 March 1999 had taken control of the village of Bajë after fighting with the KLA, which was predominantly inhabited by Serbs that time. [5]

Padalishtë massacre

Serbian forces entered the village of Pemishtë/Padalishtë on 26 March and killed 19 Albanian civilians, all members of the Imeraj family, including 13 women and children. [26]

Battle of Kladernica

After the Yugoslavs had succeeded in capturing Bajë, they moved onto the village of Klladërnica which they effectively surrounded. The village was captured on 27 March by Serbian forces. [5] 3 KLA militants were killed in the Battle. [15]

Defense of Rezalla, Marinë and Polluzhë

From 24 March 1999 to 15 May 1999, The Yugoslavs had repeatedly attacked the village of Rezallë. KLA Forces under Malush Ahmeti and Ilaz Dërguti led the defense of Rezallë. [8] On 24 March 1999, at 8:10 p.m., after the first NATO attack on Yugoslavia began, directed at several military targets, the Yugoslav forces had begun to attack the KLA in the villages of Rezallë, Marinë and Polluzhe. The KLA forces, and especially the II and III companies of the 113th Brigade, defended the villages of Marinë, Rezallë, and Polluzhe. KLA forces were also joined by soldiers of the 114th Brigade, "Fehmi Lladrovci". On the same day, since 8:30 a.m., fighters like Alush Istogu and Murat Kukaj have been in positions in the village of Polluzhë. [9] Even though the offensive ended on 31 March 1999, the Defense of Rezalla lasted until 15 May 1999, when the KLA successfully defended Rezalla and the surrounding villages and made it impossible for Serbian troops to penetrate or capture the area [8] despite Malush Ahmeti‘s death after the March 1999 offensive during the clashes. Only one KLA fighter was killed during the Defense of Rezalla in March 1999. [15]

KLA special operations in Drenas

Drenas police station attack

In March 1999, KLA commander Besim Mala, along with other KLA fighters such as Asllan Fazliu and Sabit Lladrovci led an operation to assault the Police station in Drenas several times. The assaults were successful and the KLA managed to significantly defy the Serbian forces in the city. [27]

KLA attacks on the Feronikel plant

Besim Mala‘s forces also played a crucial role in attacks on Serbian positions at the "Feronikeli" Industrial Complex in Drenas, which acted as a Yugoslav base in the city. The attacks were vital in disrupting the logistical and operational capabilities of the Serbian forces in the region. These operations were characterized by swift and unexpected maneuvers that maximized the KLA's impact despite their limited resources. The attacks led to disrupting of Yugoslav operations in the Drenas area. [27]

Izbica massacre

The shelling of the village of Izbica began during the night of 27 March when a group of at least fifty Yugoslav soldiers, policemen and paramilitaries entered the village. They wore both camouflage and dark blue or black uniforms, and carried long knives. Some wore ski masks and others had their faces blackened with greasepaint. On 28 March, nearly all of the adult men fled to the mountains, leaving mostly women, children, and old men in the village. In the field of Izbica, thousands of people were crowded that day, almost all women, children, and old people. Only about 150 men were among them. National security forces threatened to kill the villagers and demanded money. After they got the money, they separated the men from the women and children. Women and children were sent to Albania. The men were then executed with automatic weapons. Some women and old men were also executed in the village. [28] In conclusion, 93-120 Kosovo Albanian civilians were killed. [29]

28-31 March End of the Offensive and Yugoslav withdrawal

After the massacre in Izbica, clashes continued in several other villages in Drenica, which included places like Polac, Prekaz, Abri, Likoc, Gradica and many other villages. [30] Additional fighting occured in Negroc on 30 March, in which the KLA advised villagers to flee to safer areas like Vuçak and Terdec which were still under KLA control. [12] By 31 March, the Yugoslavs had withdrawn from the villages they captured in Drenica and the KLA regained control over the villages they lost control of before and during the offensive, it also led to the return of some Albanian refugees. [3] In Polac, one KLA soldier, Metë Bajram Kastrati was killed during the battle. [15]

Battle of Prekaz (1999)

On 29 March, around 4 p.m., Yugoslav forces with armored vehicles advanced from the village of Polac toward the Kodra neighborhood in Prekaz. A group of about 10 KLA fighters quickly mobilized to resist the attack, engaging in close-range combat. Yugoslav forces engaged in close combat with the KLA and were overwhelming them with their artillery. KLA reinforcements from nearby areas and the other neighborhoods in Prekaz, including the Lushtaku, arrived and launched a counterattack against Yugoslav forces. This forced the Yugoslav forces to retreat back toward Polac, which was abandoned. 1 KLA soldier, Avdullah Kodra was killed, while 1 commander of the 114th Brigade "Fehmi Lladrovci", Avdyl Kodra and another soldier, Hajdin Kodra were wounded. [10] [31] The Yugoslavs suffered several losses and one combat vehicle was damaged. [18]

Casualties

The KLA suffered 14 casualties in those battles according to the HLC‘s Kosovo Memory Book. [15] While 2 KLA fighters, including one commander were wounded during the Battle in Prekaz. [10] According to the Human Rights Watch, prior to the massacres in Kosovo, including Drenica in March 1999, the Yugoslav and Serbian forces suffered many losses at the hands of the KLA. [16] Around 93-130 Kosovar Albanian civilians were killed in Izbica, while 19 more were killed in Padalishtë. [29] [26] During the offensive on Skenderaj, 10 more civilians were executed. [13]

Aftermath

After the offensive, many clashes would continue in Drenica, especially in Rezallë. [8] The clashes lasted up until 30 May 1999, when the last major event in Drenica was the Ambush near Arllat, which resulted in the Death of Rasim Kiçina and some other KLA fighters. [32] According to the Humanitarian Law Center, during the clashes in Drenica after the March 1999 offensive, 102 Yugoslav soldiers and Serb policemen were killed between April and May 1999, while 74 KLA militants died. [15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Killings in the Izbica area" (PDF). amnesty.org. Despite ongoing Serbian and FRY military activity, KLA units succeeded in retaining an active presence in the area.
  2. ↑ "Killings in the Izbica area" (PDF). amnesty.org. When it became clear that they were unable to withstand the Serbian onslaught KLA members abandoned the villages and withdrew into the surrounding hills.
  3. 1 2 "Kosovo: Civilians rounded up and murdered by Serbian forces, witnesses tell Amnesty International delegates" (PDF). amnesty.org. After Serb forces withdrew from the area on or around 31 March, ethnic Albanians were again able to emerge from hiding.
  4. 1 2 "KOSOVO / KOSOVA As Seen, As Told" (PDF). Staro Cikatovo/Cikatove e Vjeter is around 8 km north-east of Glogovac town. After shelling began in the area on 20 March, the VJ, accompanied by police and other forces, including some in camouflage uniform with red armbands, came into the village. As the villagers fled, one group was stopped and held on the road for two hours. The police then broke into the village school and told them to go inside; they were kept there until 14:00 hours with two tanks guarding them, and then were released. The following day, the village was again shelled, and this time Red Cross vehicles came and took some of the wounded. On 22 March, VJ moved into the village, and remained there for about a month; during this time they forced the villagers to stay there.
  5. 1 2 3 "Killings in the Izbica area" (PDF). amnesty.org. Refugees and former KLA soldiers interviewed by Amnesty International delegates reported that a Serbian offensive against the region, already scarred by fighting that took place in 1998, began on 25 March 1999. Serbian and FRY forces took control of Banja (a predominantly Serb village in the area) and moved towards Kladernica, which they surrounded and captured on 27 March
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Krieger, Heike (2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 56. ISBN   9780521800716.
  7. 1 2 Gall, Charlotta (22 March 1999). "Serbs Burn the Birthplace Of the Albanians' Revolt". The New York Times .
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Malush Halil Ahmeti (16.11.1951 – 15.5.1999)". radiokosovaelire.com (in Albanian). 15 May 2025. Muajt e dimrit të vitit 1999, Malush Ahmeti ka qendruar në Rezallë dhe rrethinë. Në kohën e ofensivës së përgjithshme serbe, që filloi në mars të vitit 1999, Malush Ahmeti ishte në ballin e luftës së bashku me Ilaz Dërgutin i cili asokohe ishte komandant operative i zonës së Drenicës, ku komandant zone ishte Sami Lushtaku. Rezalla ishte rrethuar nga të gjitha anët. Popullata civile ishte evakuar nga fshati në drejtim të maleve të Rezallës, në Tushillë dhe në Kopiliq të Ulët. Forcat serbe po bënin përpjekje ta thyenin rezistencën në Drenicë, por luftëtarët e lirisë nuk jepeshin. Ata, në të shumtën e rasteve ishin vënë në mbrojtje të popullatës civile, e cila ishte e rrezikuar nga zjarri i luftës. Në maj të vitit 1999, forcat serbe kishin vënë rrethin e hekurt përreth Rezallës. Malush Ahmeti me bashkëluftëtarët e tij luftonin kundër bandave kriminele, të cilat bënin përpjekje për të depërtuar te popullata civile. Shtatë javë, në prill maj, Rezalla ishte bërë bastion i pathyeshëm në të cilin nuk depërtoi dot ushtria okupatore e cila taktizoi në të gjitha metodat taktike ushtarake por nuk hyri dot.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Adem Shaban Mulaj (25.7.1940 – 15.5.1999)". radiokosovaelire.com (in Albanian). 15 May 2025. Sot në orën 20.10 mbi Jugosllavinë filloi sulmi i parë i NATO-s, drejtuar mbi disa objektiva ushtarake. U bombardua Mali i Zi, Beogradi, disa qendra të tjera dhe Aeroporti i Prishtinës. Në mënyrë heroike nga forcat e UÇK-së, e sidomos nga kompania II dhe III e Brigadës 113 u vunë në mbrojtje fshatrat: Marinë, Rezallë, Polluzhë. Forcave tona iu bashkuan edhe ushtarët e Brigadës 114, "Fehmi Lladrovci". Sot, qysh prej orës 8 e 30 minuta, unë Ademi, Alush Istogu dhe Murat Kukaj kemi qëndruar në pozicione, në fshatin Polluzhë
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Avdyl Kodra: Beteja e 29 Marsit e vitit 1999 në Prekaz". radiokosovaelire.com (in Albanian). 29 March 2019. Ishte gati fundi i ditës, kur zakonisht nuk priteshin sulme armike, ishin tërhequr rojet dhe meqenëse ishte ditë Bajrami, një grup luftëtaresh ishin tubuar për te ngrëne dhe festuar. Rreth orës 16, dikush kishte vërejtur lëvizje të forcave të armikut të cilat ishin të përcjella me mjete të blinduara nga fshati Polac në drejtim të Prekazit, saktësisht lagjes Kodra. Ata tashmë kishin arritur në logun e fshatit dhe kishin filluar pozicionimin. Grupi i luftëtareve menjëherë u mobilizua dhe filluan të pozicionoheshin në mënyre që të dëbonin sulmin. Ishin rreth 10 pjesëtarë të UCK-së. Pozicionet ishin shume afër me pozicionet e armikut dhe beteja dukej e ashpër. Ishte e qartë se rezistenca nuk do të mund të mbahej shumë gjatë duke pas parasysh armatimin e rëndë të cilin e përdorte armiku. Me të dëgjuar krismat, grupet tjera të luftëtareve të cilët ndodheshin në pjesën e sipërme të lagjes Kodra i erdhën në ndihmë grupit. Nga lagja Lushtaku gjithashtu. Tashmë luftëtaret u bënë më shumë në numër dhe nga pozicionet e ndryshme sulmonin forcat e pozicionuara te armikut. Kjo bëri që armiku të tërhiqet në drejtim të fshatit Polac, ku nuk kishte asnjë banorë. Në ketë betejë ra heroikisht dëshmor, Avdullah Kodra dhe u plagosën rëndë komandanti i kompanisë, Avdyl Kodra, dhe ushtari Hajdin Kodra, pjesë e brigadës 114.
  11. 1 2 "Killings in the Izbica area" (PDF). amnesty.org. Some of the civilians remained in their homes or gathered together in village schools, including those of Kladernica, Tušilje (Tushilë) and Turi_evac (Turiçevc), while others fled towards neighbouring villages, many of them taking refuge in Tušilje, which was still under KLA control.
  12. 1 2 "KOSOVO / KOSOVA As Seen, As Told" (PDF). p. 328. On 30 March, attacks began in the Negrovce area and the UCK advised villagers to move to safer territory, in the Vucak valley towards the Trdevac/Terdec village.
  13. 1 2 3 "Kosovo Conflict Chronology: September 1998 - March 1999". www.everycrsreport.com. 6 April 1999.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Predmet Pavkovica i drugi (IT-03-70) - Optuznica". icty.org.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Kosovo Memory Book". www.hlc.rdc.org.
  16. 1 2 "UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 1. Executive Summary". hrw.org. …some massacres were committed after Serbian or Yugoslav forces suffered casualties at the hands of the KLA.
  17. 1 2 "Agency Reports on Threats by 'Liberation Army" (PDF). kosovo.sensecentar.com. p. 115.
  18. 1 2 "Avdullah Kodra (20.10.1975 – 29.3.1999)". radiokosovaelire.com. 29 March 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 5. Drenica Region". www.hrw.org.
  20. ↑ "UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 1. Executive Summary". hrw.org. The municipalities of Glogovac (Gllogofc) and Srbica (Skenderaj) in the Drenica region, the cradle of the KLA, were the scene of multiple massacres of civilians, as well as arbitrary detentions, torture, and the systematic destruction of homes and other civilian property.
  21. ↑ Bami, Xhorxhina (18 July 2022). "Kosovo Football Fans Criticised for Barring Tourists from Guerrilla Memorial". balkaninsight.com. The students were barred from entering by a football fan group called Shqiponjat e Zeza-Drenica (Black Eagles Drenica) from Skenderaj/Srbica, which was a KLA stronghold during the war.
  22. ↑ Gjinovci, Rron (2 December 2016). "Elections in the stronghold of a divided party". www.prishtinainsight.com. Drenas was a KLA stronghold and also a historic heartland of the PDK.
  23. ↑ Alex J. Bellamy (April 2001). "Reconsidering Rambouillet" . Contemporary Security Policy. 22: 31–56. doi:10.1080/13523260512331391056.
  24. ↑ Eric Suy (2000). "NATO's Intervention in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" . Leiden Journal of International Law. 13: 193–205. doi:10.1017/S0922156500000133.
  25. ↑ George Jahn (21 March 1999). Fighting escalates in Kosovo. Daily Union.
  26. 1 2 "20 vjet nga masakra e Padalishtës së Skënderajt - FOKUSI". www.fokusi.info (in Albanian). 26 May 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  27. 1 2 "Besim Bislim Mala (14.8.1971 – 17.4.2000)". radiokosovaelire.com. 17 April 2025.
  28. ↑ "UNDER ORDERS: War Crimes in Kosovo - 5. Drenica Region". www.hrw.org.
  29. 1 2 "Judgement: Prosecutor vs. Milan Milutinović, Nikola Šainović, Dragoljub Ojdanić, Nebojša Pavković, Vladimir Lazarević and Sreten Lukić" (PDF). icty.org. pp. 216, 248.
  30. ↑ Qeriqi, Ahmet (17 February 2025). "Ahmet Qeriqi: Kosova, një histori e shkurtër deri në pavarësi III". radiokosovaelire.com. Beteja e Abrisë, Likocit, Rrezallës, Prekazit, Polacit, Gradicës, Melenicës, Artakollit, Aqarevës, Kopiliqit, Gradicës, e shumë të tjera, (të cilat do të evidentohen kohë pas kohe)
  31. ↑ "Beteja e 29 marsit në Prekaz, përkujtohet dëshmori Avdullah Kodra". botasot.info. 29 March 2021.
  32. ↑ "Rasim Rrahman Kiçina (25.8.1972 – 30.5.1999)". radiokosovaelire.com. 30 May 2025.
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