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Draft:Battle of Pozhar

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Battle of Pozhar
Part of the Kosovo War
Date28–29 March 1999[a]
Location
Pozhar, Deçan, Kosovo
Result KLA repelled the Serbian/Yugoslav advance at Pozhar
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia

Units involved
Brigade 131 "Jusuf Gërvalla"
Elements operating on the Lumbardh–Lluka e Poshtme–Pozhar–Kodrali front		 Serbian police (MUP), including special police units
Elements of the Yugoslav Army, including support from the 125th Motorised Brigade
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
2 killed Disputed; Serbian MUP records cited in ICTY appeal proceedings reported 2 police killed, 15 wounded and 2 missing
At least 1 Yugoslav Army tank destroyed

The Battle of Pozhar (Template:Lang-sq), also referred to in Albanian accounts as the Battle at the Bridge of Pozhar (Template:Lang-sq), was a series of engagements between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia around the village of Pozhar, in the municipality of Deçan, during the Kosovo War. The main fighting took place on 28–29 March 1999, although Albanian accounts describe related fighting on the surrounding front from 27 March until early April.[1][2][3]

KLA units, principally associated with Brigade 131 "Jusuf Gërvalla", fought Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) forces supported by the Yugoslav Army (VJ). An International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) judgment later recorded that the war diary of the VJ's 125th Motorised Brigade confirmed Yugoslav Army operations and support for the MUP in the Deçan area. The brigade's commander, Dragan Živanović, testified that a clash with the KLA took place at Požare/Poshar on 29 March and that the VJ sent three tanks to assist the police.[4][5]

Two KLA officers, Elez Ramë Geci of Lluka e Poshtme and Maxhun Brahim Berisha of Prapaqan, were killed during the fighting on 28 March. Their deaths on that date are recorded by Kosovo's Institute for Crimes Committed During the War and by the Kosovo Memory Book database.[6][7][8][9]

Background

[edit]

By March 1999, the Deçan area had been the scene of repeated fighting between the KLA and Yugoslav and Serbian security forces. Following the beginning of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia on 24 March, fighting intensified in several parts of western Kosovo.[10][11]

Albanian accounts describe a KLA defensive line extending through Dashinoc, Lumbardh, Lluka e Poshtme, Pozhar and Kodrali. Brigade 131 "Jusuf Gërvalla" was active in the area, while accounts concerning Elez Geci state that forces from Brigades 131 and 132 coordinated their defence of the Lumbardh–Lluka e Poshtme–Pozhar–Kodrali sector.[12][13][14]

According to accounts concerning Brigade 131, on 27 March KLA forces advanced around Lumbardh after Serbian forces withdrew from positions near the village ambulance and nearby houses. Members of the brigade's First Battalion then took positions near the bridge at Pozhar.[2][1]

Battle

[edit]

Fighting on 28 March

[edit]

KLA accounts state that positions had been established around the area known as Graxhovina near Pozhar and that anti-tank mines were placed on approaches to the village. Serbian forces attacked the KLA positions with armoured vehicles and supporting fire.[1][2]

A wartime diary kept by KLA fighter Valiant Ferizi records that heavy fighting took place at Pozhar and Kodrali on 28 March and continued until approximately 21:00. Ferizi wrote that Serbian forces left behind a tank, an armoured vehicle and a Pinzgauer vehicle, and that weapons, ammunition and fuel were recovered after the engagement.[3]

Later KLA accounts describe fighting around houses at the entrance to Pozhar and near the bridge. They state that Serbian armoured forces were engaged at close range and that at least one tank and one armoured vehicle were disabled or destroyed. One account states that KLA fighter Adem Haxhosaj entered an abandoned armoured vehicle and removed a heavy machine gun.[12][1][2]

The ICTY record independently confirms the presence of Yugoslav armoured forces in the wider engagement. The commander of the 125th Motorised Brigade testified that three VJ tanks were dispatched toward Pozhar to assist Serbian police forces.[4][15]

Deaths of Elez Geci and Maxhun Berisha

[edit]

Elez Geci served in Brigade 131 "Jusuf Gërvalla" and is described in KLA biographical sources as an assistant commander responsible for morale and as a commander within the brigade's Second Battalion. He had returned to Kosovo in 1998 after living abroad.[12]

According to accounts by participants, Geci was struck by sniper fire while moving near burning Serbian vehicles during the fighting around the Pozhar bridge. He died from his wounds on 28 March.[12][1] Kosovo casualty records list him as killed on 28 March 1999 and identify Lluka e Poshtme as his place of birth.[6][8]

Maxhun Berisha, from Prapaqan, was also an officer of Brigade 131 and had served as a deputy battalion commander and deputy company commander. He was killed during the same day's fighting.[16][17] Kosovo casualty records likewise give 28 March 1999 as the date of his death.[7][9]

Later narratives differ over the precise sequence in which Geci and Berisha were killed. Some accounts state that Geci was killed first and Berisha several hours later, while other reconstructions place Berisha's death earlier in the fighting.[16][1][17] The contemporary Ferizi diary records both men as having been killed in the Pozhar fighting on 28 March.[3]

Continued fighting

[edit]

The fighting did not end with the main engagement on 28 March. Ferizi's diary records another Serbian attack on a KLA position on the evening of 29 March and continuing military activity in the area on subsequent days.[3] KLA biographical accounts consequently describe the broader engagement as lasting from 27 March until 2 April.[2][18][19][20]

The ICTY judgment dates the VJ-supported confrontation at Pozhar to 29 March. Živanović stated that the VJ sent three tanks to assist MUP forces during the clash.[4] The difference between the 28 March date found in Albanian casualty records and accounts and the 29 March date in the Yugoslav testimony is consistent with fighting continuing across more than one day.[6][7][8][9]

Casualties and equipment losses

[edit]

Two KLA members, Elez Geci and Maxhun Berisha, are consistently identified as having been killed in the battle on 28 March.[6][7][8][9][3]

The number of Yugoslav and Serbian casualties is disputed. Albanian commemorative accounts have claimed that more than 40 Serbian soldiers, police or paramilitaries were killed.[16][17][21] However, during the Milutinović et al. trial, the ICTY Trial Chamber described a witness's report that 18 Serbian soldiers had been killed in the Pozhar confrontation as an exaggerated figure.[4]

In an appeal brief filed on behalf of Yugoslav general Vladimir Lazarević, the defence cited Serbian MUP records stating that fighting on 28–29 March resulted in two police officers killed, 15 wounded and two missing. The same filing stated that the Yugoslav Army sent three tanks to assist the MUP and that one of those tanks was destroyed.[15] These figures were presented by the defence rather than adopted as a factual finding of the ICTY Trial Chamber.

Ferizi's diary records a burned or disabled tank, an armoured vehicle and a Pinzgauer after the 28 March fighting.[3] Because the surviving sources give differing figures, the total number of Serbian/Yugoslav personnel and vehicles lost in the battle remains uncertain.[4][15][16][20]

Events in nearby Beleg

[edit]

The battle took place immediately before major operations by Yugoslav and Serbian forces in the nearby village of Beleg. The ICTY found that VJ and MUP personnel, including special police and reservists, were present in Beleg from approximately 28 to 30 March 1999.[4][22]

The Trial Chamber found that Kosovo Albanian civilians from Beleg and nearby villages were detained, harassed and physically assaulted; that women were subjected to rape and other sexual assaults; and that the population was subsequently expelled toward Albania. The Chamber found that VJ and MUP forces were not engaged in combat with the KLA inside Beleg during these events.[23][24][25][26]

Several Albanian accounts have described the attacks on civilians in Beleg and Irzniq as retaliation for Serbian losses at Pozhar.[21][27] The ICTY judgment established the abuses and expulsions in Beleg but did not make a finding that they were carried out specifically in retaliation for the Battle of Pozhar.[23][22]

Legacy

[edit]

The battle is commemorated locally in the Deçan area, particularly in connection with Elez Geci and Maxhun Berisha. Municipal records refer to a road named Elez Geci & Maxhun Berisha.[28][29]

The battle also occupies a prominent place in KLA and local histories of the Dukagjin Operational Zone. Former KLA commander Ramush Haradinaj has publicly commemorated the fighting at Pozhar and the deaths of Geci and Berisha.[30][31][32][33]

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Albanian accounts sometimes use 27 March–2 April 1999 for the broader series of engagements along the Dashinoc–Lumbardh–Lluka e Poshtme–Pozhar front.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mehmetaj, Faton (29 March 2025). "Beteja e Pozharit". Epoka e Re (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Enver Malë Dobraj (1.11.1968–7.6.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Binakaj, Endrit. Ditari një ushtari: Monografi për dëshmorin Valiant Ferizi (in Albanian).
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (26 February 2009). Prosecutor v. Milan Milutinović et al.: Judgement, Volume II (PDF) (Report). ICTY. paras. 55–57. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  5. ↑ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (23 January 2014). Prosecutor v. Nikola Šainović et al.: Appeal Judgement (PDF) (Report). ICTY. paras. 297–300 and nn. 853–861. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Preliminary List". Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Preliminary List". Institute for Crimes Committed During the War in Kosovo. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "List of killed, missing and disappeared 1998–2000". Humanitarian Law Center. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "List of killed, missing and disappeared 1998–2000". Humanitarian Law Center. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  10. ↑ "Press Statement by Dr. Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General, following the Commencement of Air Operations". NATO. 24 March 1999. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  11. ↑ "NATO Update: Week of 24–30 March 1999". NATO. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Elez Ramë Geci (11.2.1951–28.3.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Mehmetaj, Faton. "Naser Brahimaj – Bardheci (1976–1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  14. ↑ "Luan Islam Nimanaj (2.12.1978–17.4.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 Defence of Vladimir Lazarević (23 September 2009). Lazarević Defence Appeal Brief (PDF) (Report). International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. paras. 14–15. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Maxhun Brahim Berisha (9.10.1962–28.3.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 Rexhaj, Kadri. "Maxhun Berisha – pishtar i pashuar i lirisë së Kosovës". Pashtriku (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  18. ↑ "Fatmir Smajl Nimanaj (1.4.1973–16.4.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  19. ↑ "Shpend Zeqë Malaj (13.12.1969–6.6.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Burim Sadik Mustafaj (6.10.1977–6.6.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  21. 1 2 Binakaj, Endrit A. (2015). Rrëfime për Masakrën e Belegut (in Albanian).
  22. 1 2 International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (23 January 2014). Prosecutor v. Nikola Šainović et al.: Appeal Judgement (PDF) (Report). ICTY. paras. 297–300. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  23. 1 2 International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (26 February 2009). Prosecutor v. Milan Milutinović et al.: Judgement, Volume II (PDF) (Report). ICTY. paras. 55–69, 1184–1188. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  24. ↑ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (23 February 2011). Prosecutor v. Vlastimir Đorđević: Public Judgement with Confidential Annex (PDF) (Report). ICTY. paras. 1154–1157. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  25. ↑ OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (1999). Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen, As Told (PDF) (Report). OSCE. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  26. ↑ International Crisis Group (27 June 2000). Reality Demands: Documenting Violations of International Humanitarian Law in Kosovo 1999 (Report). International Crisis Group.
  27. ↑ Lushaj, Adem. "Më 29 e 30 mars 1999 në Irzniq e Beleg të Deçanit serbët masakruan dhjetëra civilë shqiptarë". VOAL (in Albanian). Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  28. ↑ Adresa dhe nr. kontaktues me rëndësi (PDF) (Report) (in Albanian). Municipality of Deçan. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  29. ↑ Procesverbali i mbledhjes së Kuvendit të Komunës së Deçanit, 31.07.2023 (PDF) (Report) (in Albanian). Municipality of Deçan. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  30. ↑ "Ramush Haradinaj: Më 28 mars 1999, në Pozhar të Deçanit u zhvillua njëra nga betejat më të rëndësishme të UÇK-së". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). 29 March 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Haradinaj përkujton Betejën e Pozharit". Telegrafi (in Albanian). 2020. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Aktiviteti i Presidentit, nr. 19 (PDF) (Report) (in Albanian). Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo. April 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  33. ↑ "Kryeministri Haradinaj kujtoi 19 vjetorin e masakrës së Izbicës" (in Albanian). Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo. 28 March 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
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