Albania–Yugoslav border incident (April 1999): Difference between revisions
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| territory = |
| territory = |
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| result = |
| result = Indecisive |
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| combatant1 = {{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Yugoslav Army]] (VJ) |
| combatant1 = {{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Yugoslav Army]] (VJ) |
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| combatant2 = |
| combatant2 = {{flagicon|Albania}} [[Albanian Army]] <br> [[File:UCK KLA.png|20px]] [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] |
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| commander1 = Unknown |
| commander1 = Unknown |
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| commander2 = [[File:Emblem of Albanian MoD.png| |
| commander2 = [[File:Emblem of Albanian MoD.png|20px]] [[Pandeli Majko]]{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}<br>[[File:Emblem of Albanian MoD.png|20px]] Kudusi Lama <ref name=KL>{{citation|last=Katamaj|first=Halil|year=2002|title=Kudusi Lama, gjenerali i luftes : Divizioni i Kukësit gjatë Luftës së Kosovës|location=Tiranë|publisher=Mokra|isbn=99927-781-0-5}}{{page needed|date=May 2012}}</ref> |
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| strength1 = 50 soldiers<ref name="Daly"/> of [[63rd Paratroop Battalion]]<ref name=Klan></ref> |
| strength1 = 50 soldiers<ref name="Daly"/> of [[63rd Paratroop Battalion]]<ref name=Klan></ref> |
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| strength2 = Unknown |
| strength2 = Unknown |
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| casualties1 = {{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} 3 soldiers captured (Albanian claim)<ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url = http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/14/news/mn-27375|title=Yugoslav Troops Said to Cross Into Albania|last=Daniszewski|first=John|date=14 April 1999|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> <br> |
| casualties1 = {{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} 3 soldiers captured (Albanian claim)<ref name=LAT>{{cite web|url = http://articles.latimes.com/1999/apr/14/news/mn-27375|title=Yugoslav Troops Said to Cross Into Albania|last=Daniszewski|first=John|date=14 April 1999|publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> <br> |
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{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} |
{{flagicon|FR Yugoslavia}} multiple soldiers killed<ref name=Klan>{{cite web|url = http://www.tvklan.al/emisioni.php?id=5795|title=TV Klan interview given of ex-PM [[Pandeli Majko]] (declaration on 52:23)|last=Majko|first=Pandeli|date=26 Mars 2013|publisher=[[Klan Television|Opinion]]}}</ref> |
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| casualties2 = 3 Albanian civilians killed and 16 civilians wounded<ref name="Daly">{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-the-balkans-serbs-enter-albania-and-burn-village-1087030.html|title=War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village|last=Daly|first=Emma|date=14 April 1999|publisher = [[The Independent]]}}</ref> |
| casualties2 = 3 Albanian civilians killed and 16 civilians wounded<ref name="Daly">{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-the-balkans-serbs-enter-albania-and-burn-village-1087030.html|title=War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village|last=Daly|first=Emma|date=14 April 1999|publisher = [[The Independent]]}}</ref> |
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| notes = |
| notes = |
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| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Kosovo War}} |
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Kosovo War}} |
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}} |
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An '''Albania-Yugoslav border incident''' took place in April 1999 when the [[Military of Serbia and Montenegro| |
An '''Albania-Yugoslav border incident''' took place in April 1999 when the [[Military of Serbia and Montenegro|Military of Yugoslavia]] shelled several Albanian [[Border crossings of Albania|border]] towns around [[Krumë]], [[Tropojë]]. In these villages, refugees and [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] insurgents were being housed after fleeing the [[Kosovo War|war in Kosovo]] by crossing into Albania.<ref name=Fisher>{{cite web|url = http://articles.sfgate.com/1999-06-07/news/17692125_1_kosovo-liberation-army-prizren-kosovo-and-albania |title = Surge of Fighting on Kosovo-Albania [[Border|Border crossings of Albania]] / Refugees on the run again for safety|last=Fisher|first= Ian|date=7 June 1999|publisher=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> |
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Serb forces maneuvered into the village of Kamenica, searching for [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] insurgents and torched several houses in the process.<ref name="Daly"/> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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==Incident== |
==Incident== |
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On 13 April 1999, Yugoslav infantry entered Albanian territory to close off an area that was used by the [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] to stage attacks against Yugoslav targets.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/318217.stm| author= | title=Albania reports incursion by Yugoslav forces | date= 14 April 1999| accessdate=27 October 2012}}</ref> |
On 13 April 1999, Yugoslav infantry entered Albanian territory to close off an area that was used by the [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] to stage attacks against Yugoslav targets.<ref>{{cite web| publisher=BBC| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/318217.stm| author= | title=Albania reports incursion by Yugoslav forces | date= 14 April 1999| accessdate=27 October 2012}}</ref> |
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From their positions on the Yugoslavian side of the border, the soldiers of the [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Yugoslav Army]] fired at least 10 shells on the town of [[Krumë]], where hundreds of ethnic Albanian refugees and [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] insurgents were seeking refuge. The shelling happened just before midnight, prompting a massive exodus to the town of Kukes, some 10 miles from the Kosovo-Albanian border.<ref name=Fisher/> |
From their positions on the Yugoslavian side of the border, the soldiers of the [[Army of Yugoslavia (FRY)|Yugoslav Army]] fired at least 10 shells on the town of [[Krumë]], where hundreds of ethnic Albanian refugees and [[Kosovo Liberation Army|KLA]] insurgents were seeking refuge. The shelling happened just before midnight, prompting a massive exodus to the town of Kukes, some 10 miles from the Kosovo-Albanian border.<ref name=Fisher/> |
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Albania claimed several dead Yugoslav soldiers, and Albanian Prime Minister [[Pandeli Majko]] said that several bodies where pulled out by the Yugoslavs, in order to prevent a further escalation of international reactions.<ref name=Klan/> |
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==Reactions== |
==Reactions== |
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Revision as of 01:57, 8 April 2013
| Albanian-Yugoslav border incident | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo War | |||||||
.jpg) Albanian Type 59 Tanks at the border | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Yugoslav Army (VJ) |
 Albanian Army  KLA | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown |
File:Emblem of Albanian MoD.png Pandeli Majko[citation needed] File:Emblem of Albanian MoD.png Kudusi Lama [2] | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 50 soldiers[1] of 63rd Paratroop Battalion[3] | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
multiple soldiers killed[3] | 3 Albanian civilians killed and 16 civilians wounded[1] | ||||||
An Albania-Yugoslav border incident took place in April 1999 when the Military of Yugoslavia shelled several Albanian border towns around Krumë, Tropojë. In these villages, refugees and KLA insurgents were being housed after fleeing the war in Kosovo by crossing into Albania.[5]
Serb forces maneuvered into the village of Kamenica, searching for KLA insurgents and torched several houses in the process.[1]
Background
The Kosovo War was a conflict between the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The war had expanded after the attack on Prekaz which saw thousands of ethnic Albanians joining the KLA ranks. More than 500,000 Albanian refugees fled to Albania to escape Yugoslav Army reprisals. Meanwhile, the KLA began to recruit in the refugee camps. There had been fighting in along the border between the FRY and Albania between the KLA and Yugoslav forces where KLA troops had infiltrated into Kosovo. The forthcoming incursion by the FRY could have been in response to KLA actions in the area, according to Albanian police.[4]
Relations between the FRY and Albania had been strained as 300,000 ethnic Albanians had fled into Albania itself. The Yugoslavs had been angered over Albania's support of NATO airstrikes and its sheltering of KLA militants. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) had reported previous Yugoslav Army incursions into Albanian territory. The border was lightly defended by the Albanian Army which was ordered not to fire back after a Yugoslav Army attack. A KLA commander had reported that rebel forces had crossing over into Kosovo near Tropojë, a KLA stronghold, in the days before the attack.[4]
Incident
On 13 April 1999, Yugoslav infantry entered Albanian territory to close off an area that was used by the KLA to stage attacks against Yugoslav targets.[6]
From their positions on the Yugoslavian side of the border, the soldiers of the Yugoslav Army fired at least 10 shells on the town of Krumë, where hundreds of ethnic Albanian refugees and KLA insurgents were seeking refuge. The shelling happened just before midnight, prompting a massive exodus to the town of Kukes, some 10 miles from the Kosovo-Albanian border.[5]
Reactions
According to international war rules, Albania could have declared war on Yugoslavia when paratroopers crossed into Albanian territory. The OSCE said it was in retaliation for KLA attacks in Kosovo. Despite the OSCE also reporting that Yugoslav paratroopers crossed the border, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Yugoslavia denied any attack had occurred. The ministry declared that Yugoslavian airborne troops did not enter Albania.[7]
References
- ^ a b c d Daly, Emma (14 April 1999). "War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village". The Independent.
- ^ Katamaj, Halil (2002), Kudusi Lama, gjenerali i luftes : Divizioni i Kukësit gjatë Luftës së Kosovës, Tiranë: Mokra, ISBN 99927-781-0-5[page needed]
- ^ a b Majko, Pandeli (26 Mars 2013). "TV Klan interview given of ex-PM [[Pandeli Majko]] (declaration on 52:23)". Opinion.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ a b c Daniszewski, John (14 April 1999). "Yugoslav Troops Said to Cross Into Albania". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Fisher, Ian (7 June 1999). "Surge of Fighting on Kosovo-Albania [[Border|Border crossings of Albania]] / Refugees on the run again for safety". New York Times.
{{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) - ^ "Albania reports incursion by Yugoslav forces". BBC. 14 April 1999. Retrieved 27 October 2012.
- ^ "Albania says Serb forces cross border, occupy village". CNN. 13 April 1999.