Battle of Lapušnik
| Battle of Lapušnik | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Kosovo Liberation Army |
 FR Yugoslavia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ismet Jashari Fatmir Limaj Isak Musliu Ymer Alushani † Kadri Veseli Fehmi Lladrovci | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
121st “Ismet Jashari” brigade |
Yugoslav Army Yugoslav police | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
100 militants |
400 personnel 140 tanks[3] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
47 killed[4] |
unknown 1 TAM-110 destroyed 1 Pinzgauer destroyed[3] 1 tank damaged[3] | ||||||||
/ 23 civilians executed by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the camp | |||||||||
The Battle of Lapušnik (Serbian: Битка код Лапушника, Albanian: Beteja e Grykës së Llapushnikut) took place on 7–10 May and 25–26 July, 1998 in and around the village of Lapušnik, in the district of Priština, in Kosovo during the Kosovo War.
On 7 May 1998, Ismet Jashari, who had not fully recovered from the injuries he suffered during a previous ambush, led his brigade into Lapušnik, where he defeated the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) and captured the village.[5][6][7] Alongside him were Kadri Veseli,Fatmir Limaj,[8] Isak Musliu, and Ymer Alushani.[9]
The MUP launched a counterattack on Lapušnik on 9 May. The police entered the village and began attacking KLA positions. KLA called in reinforcements from Likovac and Klečka and pushed out the police.[3]
The Priština—Peć motorway was obstructed for months, Lapušnik and the surrounding area was under rebel control, enabling KLA fighters to move freely in a large part of the territory of Kosovo, which enabled them to organize and supply themselves with weapons.[10][11][12][13]
Battle
[edit]First battle
[edit]On 7 May 1998, clashes erupted between the Kosovo Liberation Army and the Yugoslav police. During the morning of 9 May, Yugoslav forces entered the Lapušnik gorge. An exchange of fire between the Yugoslav forces with the KLA fighters alongside armed residents of Lapušnik broke out.[3] During the exchange, Ymer Alushani from the nearby village of Komoran sent militants to other villages near Lapušnik to bring men who had joined or were willing to join the KLA. Together with the KLA unit from Komoran, they subsequently went to Lapušnik.[3] At the Peć-Priština motorway, KLA militants took positions and engaged the police. Meanwhile, KLA units in Klečka were informed of the attack. Fatmir Limaj, leading a 15-man group, arrived as reinforcements in Lapušnik.[3] In the early afternoon, a Pinzgauer vehicle located in the middle of the village was hit by the KLA and exploded, leading to the withdrawal of the police.[3] Later in the afternoon and through the evening, more KLA militants arrived at the village, where they dug trenches and made fortifications.[3] By 10 May, Lapušnik was under KLA control. Following the capture, the KLA subsequently built the Lapušnik prison camp.[11]
Second battle
[edit]On 25 and 26 July 1998, the Yugoslav police and army launched a counter-offensive against most of the KLA's major checkpoints and strongholds, including an attack against the KLA base in Lapušnik and the surrounding villages.[14] Fighting broke out, which led to the retreat of the Kosovo Liberation Army into the Berisha mountains. Yugoslav forces seized back control of Lapušnik on July 27.[15]
Aftermath
[edit]Kadri Veseli, a Kosovo Politician and former founder and leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, recalled it as one of the most fierce battles, saying that the fighting in Lapušnik resonated throughout Europe and the Albanian diaspora, which increased the ethnic Albanian population's confidence in the strength of the Kosovo Liberation Army with a massive mobilization.[16]
From mid-June to the end of July, KLA forces established a prison camp in Lapušnik where both Serb and Albanian civilian detainees were subjected to mistreatment, torture and murder.[17][18] When Yugoslav forces retook Lapušnik and the surrounding areas, the KLA abandoned the camp and marched the prisoners towards the mountains, dividing them into groups. A group of nine was released while another group numbering some 12 people were shot, ten of whom were killed.[17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Serbs claim rebel bastion on key Kosovo road". Reuters. 27 July 1998.
- ↑ "Haradin Bala, Isak Musliu, and Agim Murtezi Transferred to the ICTY following their Indictment for Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes". United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals. 18 February 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Prosecutor v. Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala, Isak Musliu (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia 30 November 2005), Text.
- ↑ "20 Vjet nga beteja e Llapushnikut". Kallxo. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ↑ Plus, Kult (10 May 2023). "Gryka". KultPlus (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ Grejqevci, Fatmir (25 August 2023). "Ismet Jashar Jashari (16.4.1967 – 25. 8. 1998)". Radio Kosova e Lirë. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "Epopeja e Grykës së Llapushnikut, sinonim i lavdisë, krenarisë dhe qëndresës së UÇK-së". feratshala.com (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "Përkujtohen të rënët e Grykës së Llapushnikut, Limaj tha se duhet të plotësohet amaneti i dëshmorëve". ekonomiaonline.com (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "23 vite më parë luftëtarët e lirisë në Grykën e Llapushnikut e zgjuan Evropën nga gjumi". 04 Online. 9 May 2021. Archived from the original on 24 December 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "25 years since the Battle of Llapushnik". KosovaPress. 10 May 2023. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- 1 2 "25 vjet nga beteja e Grykës së Llapushnikut". Epoka e Re. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ Osmani, Shqipe (10 May 2022). "Sot bëhen 24 vite nga Beteja e Llapushnikut". Kosovapost.net (in Albanian). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ admin (10 May 2022). "24 vjet nga Beteja e Llapushnikut". Qendra Press. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
- ↑ "Më 25 dhe 26 korrik 1998, forcat ushtarake e policore serbe kishin filluar ofensivën e parë të verës kundër UÇK-së". radiokosovaelire.com. 25 July 2022.
- ↑ "Serbs claim rebel bastion on key Kosovo road". Reuters. 27 July 1998.
- ↑ "Veseli: The battle of Llapushnik increased the populations confidence in the strength of the KLA". Kosovapress.com. 9 May 2020. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022.
- 1 2 "Limaj et al. Case Information Sheet" (PDF). ICTY.org. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. pp. 3–4.
- ↑ Cassese, Antonio (2009). The Oxford Companion to International Criminal Justice. Oxford University Press. p. 794. ISBN 9780199238323.
Further reading
[edit]- "Senior Kosovo Politician Kadri Veseli Indicted for War Crimes". Balkan Insight. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- "Kosovo conflict | Summary & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
External links
[edit]- "Ballina". old.kosovapress.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.