Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
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 (

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

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

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

Talks between the Serbs and the KLA on the release of the captured soldiers were conducted in 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

  1. ^ a b c "A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  2. ^
    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. ^
    The Associated Press
    . 9 January 1999. p. 6.
  5. 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. ISBN 978-1-136-18916-6
    .
  8. ISBN 978-0-252-09213-8
    .
  9. ISBN 978-0199243099. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  10. 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. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  14. ISBN 978-1-84392-302-2
    .
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ambush_near_Kosovska_Mitrovica&oldid=1219276323"