Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica

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Ambush near Mitrovica
Part of the Kosovo War
Date8 January 1999
Location
Mitrovica, FR Yugoslavia
Result KLA victory
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Units involved
141st Brigade “Mehë Uka” Yugoslav Army
Casualties and losses
unknown 3 killed
1 wounded[1]
8 captured (later released)

The Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica (Serbian: Zaseda kod Kosovske Mitrovice) was an incident that occurred on 8 January 1999, when members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) ambushed a Yugoslav Interior Ministry convoy carrying rations to troops stationed in a field near Kosovska Mitrovica.[2][3][4][5] Later that evening, two columns of Yugoslav troops, accompanied with at least fifty tanks, set off in the direction of Kosovska Mitrovica.[3][6] The Yugoslav troops told journalists that they were heading toward the area where the captive troops were thought to be held.[3]

Background[edit]

In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the KLA[7] which started attacking Yugoslavian police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.[8] Starting in 1998, the KLA was involved in frontal battle, with increasing numbers of Yugoslav security forces. Escalating tensions led to the Kosovo War in February 1998.[9][10][11] The shelling of the village of Slapužane by Yugoslav troops triggered the ambush by KLA forces.[2][3][4]

Incident[edit]

On 8 January, soldiers of the KLA attacked and ambushed a Yugoslav convoy heading for Kosovska Mitrovica. The KLA killed three Serb policemen, wounded one,[1] and captured eight other policemen.[2][3][4][12][13]

Aftermath[edit]

Talks between the Serbs and the KLA on the release of the captured soldiers were conducted in the village of Stari Trg. The ambush led to renewed fighting in the Podujevo area.[12] The KLA followed up the ambush with another attack on a Serbian police patrol near the village of Slivovo, killing one police officer.[1] The village of Račak served as the staging area for these ambushes, resulting in a significant build up of Yugoslav Army forces and subsequent massacre on the village.[14]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  2. ^ a b c "Kosovo rebels kill 3 Serbs". The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 1.
  3. ^ a b c d e "KOSOVO REBELS KILL 3 SERB POLICE, SEIZE 8 SOLDIERS IN AMBUSHES". Chicago Tribune. 9 January 1999. p. 6.
  4. ^ a b c "Serb forces gear up after rebels kill 3 officers, seize 8 soldiers". Deseret News. The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 6.
  5. ^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (1999-01-28). "SERBS TRIED TO COVER UP MASSACRE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  6. ^ "CNN - Yugoslav army moves tanks into Kosovo villages - January 9, 1999". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  7. ^ Eriksson, Mikael; Kostić, Roland (15 February 2013). Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. Routledge. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-136-18916-6.
  8. ^ Perritt, Henry H. (2010-10-01). Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency. University of Illinois Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-252-09213-8.
  9. ^ Independent International Commission on Kosovo (2000). The Kosovo Report (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0199243099. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  10. ^ Quackenbush, Stephen L. (2015). International Conflict: Logic and Evidence. Los Angeles: Sage. p. 202. ISBN 9781452240985. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  11. ^ "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  12. ^ a b "USAID/OFDA Kosovo Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Update January 11, 1999 - Albania | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 1999-01-11. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
  13. ^ Bird, Chris (1999-01-09). "Rebel killings put Kosovo truce at risk". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  14. ^ Aertsen, Ivo; Arsovska, Jane; Vanspauwen, Kris; Valiñas, Marta; Rohne, Holger (2013). Restoring Justice After Large-scale Violent Conflicts - Kosovo, DR Congo and the Israeli-Palestinian Case. Willian Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-84392-302-2.
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