Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
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| Insurgency in the Preševo, Bujanovac and Medvedja municipalities |
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| Part of the Yugoslav Wars | |||||||
 Yugoslav special police forces in the village of Oraovica near the southern Serbian town of Preševo |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (LAPMB) |  FR Yugoslavia |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Muhamet Xhemajli Shefket Musliu Ridvan Qazimi "Lleshi" † |
Ninoslav Krstić Goran Radosavljević Milorad Ulemek Legija |
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| Strength | |||||||
| Few hundred militants | 1,000 soldiers 100 JSO members |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 20-30 guerillas killed (Serbian Claim) 5 guerillas killed (UCPMB Claim)[1] 45 surrendered to KFOR[1] |
15 policemen killed |
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| 6 civilians killed 37 civilians wounded[2][3][4][5] 2 United Nations observers wounded |
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The insurgency in the Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa municipalities (1999–2001) was a struggle between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Albanian rebel organization, the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UCPMB). The aim of the UCPMB was to annex those areas of southern Central Serbia to Kosovo. The conflict took place in an area of approximately 1,200 km2 (460 sq mi) with a population of 100,000 of which 70% were Albanian.[6]
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[edit] Background
[edit] Buffer zone
After the end of the Kosovo War in 1999, a three-mile "Ground Safety Zone" (GSZ) was established between Kosovo (under United Nations administration) and inner Yugoslavia (now Serbia) respectively. Yugoslav army units were not permitted to patrol the area, only lightly-armed police forces. The exclusion zone included the predominantly Albanian village of Dobrosin, but not Preševo.
[edit] UCPMB
Modeled on the Kosovo Liberation Army (which was only officially disbanded after the war in Kosovo), the new guerrilla movement has been able to operate with relatively little concern about retaliation from Belgrade, which has been allowed to keep only the local police force in the area.
The aim of the movement was to take full control of Preševo and Bujanovac (and Medveđa outside of the valley but through the same campaign) and hold them until such time as the adjacent lands, Kosovo and the western portion of the Republic of Macedonia also came under Albanian control. This should have been followed by the gradual opening of the borders.
[edit] Conflict
Between 21 June 1999 and 12 November 2000, 294 attacks were recorded, most of them (246) in Bujanovac, 44 in Medveđa and six in Preševo. UCPMB insurgents mostly used assault rifles, machine guns, mortars, RPGs, anti tank mines, hand grenades, anti personnel mines, and snipers. 8 Serbian policemen were killed and 34 wounded. 6 civilians were killed and 3 were wounded, 2 United Nations observers were wounded, and 5 civilians were kidnapped.[7]
On 23 November 2000, 4 Serbian policemen were killed in fighting with militants.[8] On 18 February 2001, 3 Serbian policemen were killed when their vehicle ran onto two anti-tank mines.[9] Later that day, police examining the vehicle came under attack from mortar and anti-infantry fire. Police fired in response, and Bujanovac press centre reported that insurgents might have sustained casualties.[10]
Lacking the attention of the international media, the incidents paused as the activities spread south of the border into Macedonia from where the twin organization National Liberation Army (NLA), became involved in a insurgency against Macedonian authorities.
On 15 May 2001, the government forces began an attack on the village of Oraovica, the last rebel stronghold within southern Serbia that lies outside of the buffer zone.[11] The attacking force was a mixture of Yugoslav Armys and Serbian police special forces. 78th Motorized Brigade from Vranje and police units (PJP and JSO) attacked village from Preševo, while 63rd Paratroop Brigade and 72nd Reconnaissance-commando Brigade "Hawks" surrounded from other side. Weak and small Albanian paramilitary forces were unable to fight against the elite Yugoslav Army and Serbian police special forces supported by strong armoured and mechanized forces, and they soon surrendered the next day, on 16 May.[12]A disputed number of UCPMB militants were killed in the fighting.
Yugoslav officials claimed no casualties, and said 14-20 rebels were killed.[citation needed] The UCPMB disputed those figures saying only 5 of its fighters were killed.[13]
Most of the civilians left the village and were escorted to safety to Kosovo and Macedonia. A route out was left open for the guerrillas. Across the administrative line in Kosovo, 45 Albanian guerrillas surrendered to KFOR troops soon after.[14]
Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, NATO allowed the Yugoslav army to reclaim the demilitarized zone on 24 May 2001, and at the same time giving the rebels the opportunity to turn themselves over to KFOR. KFOR promised to just take their weapons and note their names before releasing them.
[edit] Aftermath
In 2004, UCPMB commander Shefket Musliu was sentenced to twelve years in prison by a District Court in Gjilan for kidnapping and other illegal activities.[15] Generals Ninoslav Krstić and Goran Radosavljević, who have lead the anti-insurgency actions, have been awarded by NATO for their actions in village of Oraovica.
The region returned to normal life after the conflict. Although some things have changed, like ethnic Albanian parties participating in Serbian politics 5 years later in 2006[16], after a 10-year boycott.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/balkans/2001-05-16-pushedout.htm
- ^ Yugoslav troops advance in buffer zone, brace for backlash from top rebel's death, Stars and Stripes, May 26, 2001
- ^ Number of Serbian soldiers in Presevo Valley during the conflict
- ^ UCPMB was officially a terrorist organization according to NATO and Serbian government
- ^ Detailed information about JSO activities in Presevo Valley during the conflict
- ^ Morton, Jeffrey S. (2004). Reflections on the Balkan Wars. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 1403963320.
- ^ Krstic, Ninoslav; Dragan Zivkovic. "Извођење операције решавања кризе на југу Србије изазване деловањем наоружаних албанских екстремиста (терориста)". Vojno delo: p. 180. ISSN 0042-8426.
- ^ Four Serbian policemen killed
- ^ www.glas-javnosti.rs
- ^ CER | Serbia: Presevo peace agreement on the horizon?
- ^ http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:shhWvBSKk3QJ:b-info.com/news/2001-05/text/may16d.rfe+oraovica+battle&hl=hr&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=hr&client=firefox-a
- ^ NIN / Kost u grlu
- ^ Serbian forces push rebels out of Albanian village
- ^ Albanian rebels to defy deadline | World news | The Guardian
- ^ "Headlines". United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (26 June 2004). Accessed 13 October 2009.
- ^ BBC NEWS | Europe | Albanians end boycott in Serbia
[edit] External links
- Partos, Gabriel (2001-02-02). "Presevo valley tension". BBC News Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/1043583.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-26.
