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Draft:Albanian-Yugoslav border conflict (1998-1999)

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Albanian-Yugoslav border conflict (1998-1999)
Part of the Kosovo War and Yugoslav Wars
Date1998-1999
Location
Albania and AP Kosovo,FR Yugoslavia
Result

Initial Yugoslav victory

  • Many KLA attempts of weapon smuggling from Albania are stopped by Yugoslav forces.

Eventual Albanian and KLA victory

Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army
1999:
Albania Albania
Support:
Mujahedeen
NATO NATO		  Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders

Agim Ramadani †
Sali Çekaj †
Mujë Krasniqi †
Agim Çeku
Rrustem Berisha 1999:
Albania Kudusi Lama

Alija Rabić †
NATO Wesley Clark		 Serbia and Montenegro Božidar Delić
Serbia and Montenegro Nebojša Pavković
Serbia and Montenegro Vladimir Lazarević
Serbia and Montenegro Dragan Živanović
Units involved
138th Brigade
121st Brigade
123rd Brigade
1999:
Kukës division		 Serbia and Montenegro Priština Corps Units 549th Motorized Brigade
Serbia and Montenegro 53rd Border Batallion
72nd Brigade for Special operations 72nd Brigade for Special Operations
Serbia and Montenegro 2nd Battalion of the 125th Motorized Brigade
Serbia and Montenegro 63rd Parachute Brigade
Russian volunteers
Ukrainian volunteers
Strength

Thousands
Albania Entire Kukës Division
Albania Tanks and artillery

22-24 fighters
NATO Units of B-52,A-10 and Lockheed AC-130 aircrafts.		 Serbia and Montenegro Thousands
Serbia and Montenegro Tanks and armored vehicles
Casualties and losses

202-205 killed
(7 killed from NATO friendly fire)
Albania 1 wounded

18 killed
NATO None

Serbia and Montenegro 215 killed
1 killed

Per NATO:

Serbia and Montenegro 32 artillery pieces, 9 armored personnel carriers, 6 armored vehicles, 4 other military vehicles, 8 mortar positions and one SA6 surface to air missile.

Events

[edit]

During the Insurgency in Kosovo the KLA used the Albanian-Yugoslav border for regular weapon smuggling. These activities continued during the Kosovo War. Due to these activities, the Yugoslav army reinforced their forces on the border with Albania. A key component of the Yugoslav forces on the border with Albania was the 53rd Border Battalion led by Božidar Delić.

April 23, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush

[edit]
Main article: April 23, 1998, Albanian-Yugoslav border ambush

On 23 April 1998, at 5:45, the 53rd border Battalion incountered a group of 150-200 KLA insurgents near the Košare border post, Deçan, who were attempting to smuggle weapons from Albania.[1] Armed with howitzers and rocket launchers, the Yugoslav army ambushed the militants, leading to a fierce clash breaking out, with the fighting lasting the whole night.[2][3] After the fighting, 19 militants were killed, 1 was injured and 2 were captured. The remaining militants escaped the ambush and fled back to Albania.[4] On the other hand the Yugoslav forces suffered no reported casualties, despite being outnumbered.[5][6][3]

The next day after the ambush, the residents of the village of Botushë reported artillery fire and helicopters flying ahead.[2]

July 18, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes

[edit]
Main article: July 18, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes

On 18 July 1998, a group of KLA insurgents together with a small group of mujahedeen (most of which were civilians from Saudi Arabia) crossed the border between Albania and Yugoslavia before being ambushed by the 53rd border battalion. The insurgents were smuggling weapons to Kosovo, some claims suggest that they were tryig to reinforce their forces in Orahovac. Estimates on the number of KLA fighters vary, Human Rights Watch claimed that there were around 200 KLA insurgents together with 24 mujahedeen,[7] the political scientist David L. Phillips and diplomat Nicholas Burns state that there were 22 mujahideen and 300 KLA fighters,[8] Tim Judah, a journalist specializing in the Balkans, believes that the group may have been made up of as many as 700 militants,[9] and the VJ stated that there were up to 1000 militants.[10] In the ensuing fight 4 KLA fighters would be killed together with 18 mujahedeen, while the other militants would escape. 1 Yugoslav soldier was heavily wounded and another was lightly wounded.[11] A large stash of guns dropped by the KLA during their retreat would be siezed by Yugoslav forces.[12]

Albanian-Yugoslav border shelling

[edit]

The next day on 19 July 1998, the Yugoslav forces shelled KLA insurgents near the Albanian border. Initial reports claimed that 30 KLA militants were killed, however later reports revealed that there were no deaths, however 31 KLA militants were injured.[10]

Battle of Morina

[edit]

On 7 August 1998, the Yugoslav forces entered the village of Morina, the nearest village to the Albanian border. There they were attacked by a group of KLA militants. In the ensuing battle 6 KLA militants would be killed, however the Yugoslav casualties would be greater, with many soldiers being killed, leading to the Yugoslav army retreating from Morina.

Battle of Opljaz

[edit]

On 9 August 1998, the KLA's 138th birgade commanded by Agim Ramadani led an operation in the village of Oplazë (romanized: "Opljaz") on the Albanian-Yugoslav border. The operation was a KLA success with 17-20 Yugoslav soldiers being killed, including 2 Yugoslav army officers. The KLA reported no casualties.[13][14][15]

Operation in Gjeravica

[edit]

On 15 September 1998 the 138th brigade led by Agim Ramadani led another operation on the Albanian-Yugoslav border. The operation was carried out in areas in and near Mt.Gjeravica where the KLA killed 40 Yugoslav soldiers and injured another 20.[13][14][15]

Operation Fenix

[edit]
Main article: Operation Fenix

On 30 September 1998, the KLA's 138th brigade led by Agim Ramadani, composed of 30 soldiers, carried out an operation near the Albanian-Yugoslav border codenamed "Operation Fenix". The militants laid anti-tank mines on the ground, leading to a Yugoslav tank running one over. The mine exploded, leading to 1 soldier being killed and 4 being injured. The Yugoslav army quickly brought in a helicopter to rescue the injured troops, however it was fired upon by the militants. Shortly after, another ambush was carried near the Košare outpost, where the KLA fired upon Yugoslav armored vehicles, killing 5 soldiers and wounding 2 aswell as destroying a Yugoslav BOV and damaging a Yugoslav Pinzgauer. The KLA then robbed the dead corpses. Another helicopter came down to the "ambush-scene" but was instantly fired upon and retreated.

December 3, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clash

[edit]
Main article: December 3, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border clash

On the 3rd of December 1998, a Yugoslav border guard was fired upon by a group of 9 KLA insurgents. In the returning fire, the Yugoslav forces killed 8 of the militants, while the 9th escaped. This was the most serious war incident in the Kosovo War since a truce had been negotiated a month and a half earlier.[16][17][18]

December 14, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush

[edit]
Main article: December 14, 1998, Albanian–Yugoslav border ambush

In the morning of 14 December 1998, a group of 140 armed KLA militants led by Mujë Krasniqi were attempting to smuggle weapons into [[Kosovo through Albania, however they were ambushed between Goroždup and Liken, in Kušnin. The militants were returning from a military training base in North Albania. After the initial ambush the battle would last the whole night. By the end of the battle 36 militants would be killed, 12 would be wounded and another 9 would be captured. According to Albanian sources 41 militants would be killed. One of the killed on the KLA-side was general Mujë Krasniqi. The Yugoslav forces suffered no casualties.

Battle of Košare

[edit]
Main article: Battle of Košare

On 9 April 1999, at 03:00, an artillery barrage began from the Albanian side of the border, aimed in the direction of the Košare military outpost, which was occupied by the Yugoslav Army, in what became one of the bloodiest battles of the Kosovo War.[19] The Albanians attacked in three directions, the first was towards Rrasa e Koshares, the second was towards the well-defended Košare outpost and the third was towards Maja Glava. Approximately 136 KLA soldiers[20] reached the border and attacked Yugoslav positions. At that time less than 200 members of the Yugoslav Army were stationed at the front line. Bloody fighting ensued and lasted the whole day with 4 dead and one wounded on the Albanian side and 23 dead on the Yugoslav side.[21] Later, the KLA seized the peak of Rrasa e Koshares and immediately began entrenching themselves. Serbian reports claimed that the KLA insurgents were assisted by British, French, German and Italian special forces.[22]

The battle continued until the next morning. Then, with artillery support, the KLA took Maja Glava and continued to bombard the Košare Outpost, which resulted in the Yugoslav soldiers having to abandon their posts.[23] At 19:00, members of the KLA entered the abandoned outpost and CNN and the British BBC broadcast images of a great number of KLA militants taking the outpost.[citation needed]

Members of the Yugoslav Forces then retreated towards the second line of defense above the outpost. Those positions were easier to defend. The next day, Yugoslav reserve troops arrived to relieve the First Army. One batch of KLA soldiers managed to cut the Yugoslav line of communications, and managed to destroy one BOV armoured personnel carrier. During the night, the KLA attacked the Yugoslav Army at Opijaz, trying to shatter the resistance of the Yugoslav soldiers, but all of the attacks were unsuccessful and resulted in the Yugoslav Army inflicting heavy losses on the KLA insurgents. Meanwhile, the Yugoslavs managed to bring in their Special Forces and also a few artillery pieces.[citation needed]


Yugoslav counter-offensive on Maja Glava

[edit]

Albanian Army and KLA artillery continued to shell the Yugoslav Army's positions from Maja Glava and Rrasa e Koshares. The Yugoslav Army Headquarters decided to launch a sudden attack and surprise the enemy. On 14 April, Yugoslav troops attacked Maja Glava. The distance between the two enemy trenches wasn't longer than 50 meters. The Yugoslav Army was unable to take Maja Glava completely, but it prevented the Albanians' artillery from engaging them from their positions. The Maja Glava front was stabilized until the end of the war, without any changes on the lines.[citation needed]

In April, there weren't any changes on the front lines at Rrasa e Koshares and both sides suffered heavy losses.

KLA attack on Rrasa e Koshares

[edit]

During the day, Hisen Berisha drove to the Košare outpost, to meet with KLA fighters. At dusk, the KLA fighters split into two groups. KLA fighters opened fire on the direction of Yugoslav forces, in an attempt to draw fire from Yugoslav forces and identifying their positions. Fierce fighting continued until the morning, with the KLA claiming to have killed 47 Yugoslav soldiers, while seven were dead on the Albanian side.[24][25]

Yugoslav offensive on Rrasa e Koshares

[edit]

May began with several unsuccessful attacks by the Yugoslav Army to take back the Košare outpost. The attacks were made unsuccessful because of the constant artillery fire aimed at their positions. On 6 May, the Yugoslav Army counterattacked at Rrasa e Koshares, in an effort to halt the artillery bombardment. A bloody skirmish ensued, but the Yugoslav Army did not manage to take Rrasa e Koshares. On 10 May, the Yugoslav Army sent two T-55 tanks to help stabilize the offensive on Rrasa e Koshares. When the tanks penetrated the KLA's lines, they advanced over 100 meters into insurgent-held territory, but the KLA still managed to retain control of Rrasa e Koshares. During the night of 10/11 May, NATO bombers dropped dozens of bombs on the Yugoslav troops who had attacked KLA positions around Rrasa e Koshares. At least in two of these instances NATO dropped cluster bombs on Yugoslav army troops. In these attacks, NATO killed eight Yugoslav soldiers and one officer and managed to wound over 40. The KLA seized the opportunity to attack and fought the Yugoslav soldiers out of their positions and forced them back.[citation needed]

KLA attack near Junik

[edit]

On 19 or 20 May, the KLA attacked a Yugoslav Special Forces' position near Junik. The KLA claimed to have managed to kill 14 Yugoslav Special Forces members after bitter fighting, whilst they suffered no losses. One of the killed was Russian citizen Bulakh Vitaly Glebovich. Documents retrieved from Glebovich's body showed he was an officer within the Russian Army, while Moscow confirmed that there was an officer by the same name who had been discharged from the Russian Army due to medical conditions with the name that the KLA had provided. The KLA presented this as evidence of Russian involvement in the war and sent a strong letter of protest to the Russian embassy in Tirana, demanding 5,000 firearms with ammunition as ransom for the retrieval of the body.[26][27] Yugoslavia reported Glebovich was killed while fighting as a volunteer.[28][29]

NATO friendly fire on Košare Outpost

[edit]

On 22 May, NATO aircraft mistakenly bombed KLA positions.[30] Some KLA commanders would later say that this was intentional to stop the KLA from making further gains.[31] According to the KLA, seven of their fighters were killed and 27 wounded in the strike.[30] After the war, PBS said that 67 people were reported as having died in the raid.[32]

Albanian-Yugoslav border incident

[edit]
Main article: Albanian-Yugoslav border incident (April 1999)

During the month of April 1999 Yugoslav infantry would enter Albania, shelling villages near Krumës,Tropojë and Kukës. The Yugoslav forces pushed 2km into Northern Albania due to them facing no resistance, however the Yugoslav government denied these claims. The main goal in this operation was to blockade KLA forces.

Shelling on Krumës

[edit]

On 13 April 1999, the Yugoslav army led by Dragan Živanović shelled Albanian refugees in Krumës, however the shelling failed to cause any casualties, only destroying 3 houses. When the Kukës division arrived led by Kudusi Lama together with a number of KLA militants, the Yugoslav forces withdrew.

Yugoslav withdrawal from Tropoja and Kukës

[edit]

With the arrival of the Kukës division, the Yugoslav troops also withdrew from the areas near Tropojë and Krumës, and eventually from the 2km of land that they had pushed into. After the incident Albania broke all ties with Yugoslavia.

Battle of Paštrik

[edit]
Main article: Battle of Paštrik

The offensive began at 4 am, when KLA troops attacked across a ten mile front from their operating areas, supported by barrages from the Albanian army and NATO air support. They quickly overran Yugoslav observation points and watchtowers.[33][34] Once past the border, some units appear to have gone to the northern side of the mountain from which they could observe armored units in Gjakova.[35] Other units went over the mountain or to the forests south of it. When Colonel Delić realized an offensive was underway, he ordered his troops to entrench and responded to the attack with howitzer and mortars. He ordered his artillery to target the avenues leading to the mountain.[36] These barrages compromised the KLA's offensive capabilities for the next two days. Despite extensive use of NATO air strikes, they did little to stop Yugoslav artillery from attacking KLA supply lines within Albania. As combat continued in the border settlements, KLA sources reported that they had overrun Planeja and were moving towards Gjonaj.[37]

Increased NATO air strikes

[edit]

On 1 June, NATO aircraft launched around 150 sorties on VJ targets. NATO claimed to have hit 32 artillery pieces, 9 personnel carriers, 6 armored vehicles, 4 other military vehicles, 8 mortar positions and one SA6 surface to air missile. NATO throughout the campaign kept the KLA at an arms length. The KLA offensive had reached a stalemate, and the Yugoslav army appeared to be organizing a counter offensive. NATO fearing Milošević would get a better position at the negotiating table if they recaptured the gains made by the KLA stepped up their bombing campaign. According to Dana Priest, Wesley Clark told his officers, "That mountain is not going to get lost. I'm not going to have Serbs on that mountain. We'll pay for that hill with American blood if we don't help [the KLA] hold it."[38] Some NATO air strikes hit KLA positions, however the KLA did not suffer any casualties from NATO friendly fire at that time. These air strikes gave the KLA opportunities to attack. The Yugoslav army responded to this by shelling settlements at the border with Albania including the settlements of Pergolaj, Golaj and Krumë. These strikes didn't hit any civilian targets, but increased the refugee flows in Kukës and put pressure on the administration.[39] Albania responded to this by mobilizing its army to the border and conducting a high profile live fire exercise.[37]

Stalemate

[edit]

On 6 June, the Yugoslav Army launched a counter offensive near Planeja. As the Yugoslav soldiers advanced towards Planeja, they were hit by 82 unguided Mark 82 bombs from two B-52s and a B-1B.[40] There are conflicting accounts about the casualties suffered by the Yugoslav troops. The Washington Post Foreign Service, which also claim that the strike involved the use of cluster munition, put the toll in "several hundreds".[41] According to some testimonies from KLA fighters, they suffered serious casualties but according to other KLA reports most were able to get into safety before the impact. A ground inspection by German KFOR troops following the end of hostilities found no wreckages of any vehicles or tanks.[42][40] On June 7, bombing and ground fighting continued around Pashtrik. On June 9, the Yugoslav army retreated and the Military Technical Agreement was signed for the withdrawal of all Yugoslav forces from Kosovo.[43]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Prosecutor vs. Slobodan Milošević — Božidar Delić Testimony". ICTY. June 22, 2005. pp. 9377–91. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  2. ^ a b "23 Albanians Killed in Clashes With Yugoslav Troops in Kosovo". The New York Times. April 24, 1998. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  3. ^ a b "16 reported killed in clashes as Serbs vote on Kosovo". CNN. April 24, 1998. Archived from the original on November 9, 2005. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  4. ^ Yugoslavia warns of war, Associated Press, April 24, 1998
  5. ^ Guy Dinmore (April 24, 1998). "New Fighting Breaks Out As Serbs Vote On Kosovo". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  6. ^ Guy Dinmore (April 28, 1998). "Albanians Bury 9 As Clashes Rage In Kosovo". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  7. ^ Fred C. Abrahams (2015). Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy in Europe. New York: New York University Press. p. 262. ISBN 978-1-4798-9668-4.
  8. ^ Phillips, David L.; Burns, Nicholas (2012). Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U. S. Intervention. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-26230-512-9.
  9. ^ Judah, p. 169
  10. ^ a b "Shells Said to Fall on Albania; 30 Rebels Reported Killed". The New York Times. July 19, 1998. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. ^ Abrahams, p. 263
  12. ^ Douglas Hamilton (July 19, 1998). "Serbs say driving KLA from town, mount ambush". Reuters.
  13. ^ a b Qeriqi, Zamir (11 April 2022). "Agim Hysni Ramadani (3.5.1963 – 11.4.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  14. ^ a b "Veprimtaria Kombëtare e Heroit të Kosovës Agim Ramadanit- Katana". Bota Sot. Retrieved 2023-04-17.
  15. ^ a b "The Albanian criminal Agim Ramadani (1963-1999) - www.zlocininadsrbima.com". www.zlocininadsrbima.com. Retrieved 2022-12-27.
  16. ^ "Eight dead in Kosovo clash". BBC. 3 December 1998. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  17. ^ "Eight Kosova Albanians Killed near Kosova-Albanian Border Identified". Kosovo Information Center. 4 December 1998. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  18. ^ "8 Kosovo Albanians Killed in Shootout". The New York Times. 4 December 1998. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  19. ^ Knaus, Verena; Warrander, Gail; Olenicoff, Larissa; Jennions, Bridget Nurre (2017). Kosovo. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 205. ISBN 978-1-78477-058-7.
  20. ^ Musa Gjakova (9 April 2017). "Rrëfimi për Kosharen". Telegrafi.com (in Albanian). Retrieved 23 May 2018. Brigada 138 në krye me komandantin Agim Ramadani kishte arritur ta thyente kufirin me vetëm 136 ushtarë në njësi të veta.
  21. ^ Demaj, Florim (2003). "Chapter six: Rrëfime, Biografi të pasura". In Cetta, Muhamet (ed.). Me UÇK-në në Koshare : nga vija e parë të frontit dhe nëpër Kosovën e pasluftës : 3. Prishtina: Faik Konica. pp. 79–80. Rezultati i gjashtë orë luftimeve ishte nga ana jonë katër të vrarë e një të plagosur, kurse nga radhët e armikut kishte 23 të vrarë
  22. ^ ""The hell of Koshare"- The day when "300 hundred Serbian Spartans" stood up against NATO". Serbian FBReporter in English. 2015-04-11. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  23. ^ "NATO zločine, možda, možemo da oprostimo, ali nikada ne smemo da zaboravimo- War Diary of the Commander of the Yugoslav Third Army". m.facebook.com. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 2020-05-13.
  24. ^ AP Archive (2016-11-16). KOSOVO: KLA OPERATIONS AROUND DJAKOVICA. Retrieved 2024-06-17 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ Esat Shala (2021-09-04). Koshare, thyerja e kufirit. Retrieved 2024-06-17 – via YouTube.
  26. ^ Depalma, Anthony (1999-05-22). "CRISIS IN THE BALKANS: THE REBELS; Kosovo Insurgents Report Killing Russian Officer in Battle With Serbs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-04-15.
  27. ^ 27. mai 1999 (in Norwegian Bokmål), 26 August 2020, retrieved 2021-04-15
  28. ^ за СРБИН инфо, Дописник (15 February 2014). "ОТКРИВАМО: Ко је убијени руски добровољац чији снимак убиства су објавили Албанци(Видео)". СРБИН.инфо.
  29. ^ "Чојство - Булах Глебович".
  30. ^ a b "KLA shock at Nato blunder". the Guardian. 24 May 1999.
  31. ^ "Haradinaj: NATO bombardoi qëllimisht kazermën e UÇK-së në Koshare (Video)". Almakos.com. 2019-04-18. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  32. ^ "A Kosovo Chronology | War In Europe | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org.
  33. ^ Wertheimer, Linda; Chayes, Sarah (28 May 1999). "KLA Push". All Things Considered. NPR. Archived from the original on 5 September 2024. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  34. ^ Came, Barry (7 June 1999). "At the Front with the KLA". Maclean's. Vol. 112, no. 23. pp. 44–47. Retrieved 5 September 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  35. ^ Williams, Daniel (29 May 1999). "Yugoslav General Says Rebels Repelled". The Washington Post. p. A1. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
  36. ^ Shea, Jamie; Jertz, Walter (7 June 1999). Military Strikes on Yugoslavia (Videotape). Retrieved 5 September 2024 – via C-SPAN Video Library. The artillery firing into Albania continues in the Mount Pashtrik area and from positions near Junik, in fact just a little over along the Kosovo–Albanian border...
  37. ^ a b Forage 2001, p. 65
  38. ^ Priest, Dana (September 19, 1999). "Kosovo Land Threat May Have Won War". The Washington Post. p. A1. Archived from the original on 24 August 2000. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  39. ^ Forage 2001, p. 66
  40. ^ a b Forage 2001, p. 67
  41. ^ Drozdiak, William (9 June 1999). "Yugoslav Troops Devastated by Attack". The Washington Post. p. A19. Archived from the original on 9 October 2000. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  42. ^ Steele, Jonathan (1999-07-17). "Ghost village marks the battle that ended the war". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 August 2013. Retrieved 2020-09-20.
  43. ^ Forage 2001, p. 68
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