Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
| Insurgency in the Preševo Valley | |
|---|---|
| Part of the FR Yugoslavia | |
| Result | |
| Territorial changes |
FR Yugoslavia regains control of demilitarized Ground Safety Zone, including around 580 square kilometres (220 sq mi) previously held by the UÇPMB |
UÇPMB
FR Yugoslavia
(North zone commander)
Ridvan Qazimi "Lleshi" †(Center zone commander)
Njazi Azemi "Mjekrra" †(115th "Karadak" Brigade commander)
Bardhyl Osmani "Delta" †(113th "Ibrahim Fejzullahu" Brigade commander)
Shaqir Shaqiri(South zone commander 1999-2001)
Mustafa Shaqiri (South zone commander 2001)
Pacir Shicri (UÇPMB spokesman)[6]
Tahir Dalipi (UÇPMB spokesman)
Lirim Jakupi(UÇPMB spokesman)
Slobodan Milošević(President, 1999–2000)
Vojislav Koštunica(President, 2000–01)
Col. General Nebojša Pavković(Chief of the General Staff)
Lt. Col. General Vladimir Lazarević(Commander of the 3rd Army)
Lt. Col. General Ninoslav Krstić(Commander of the Joint Security Forces)
Goran Radosavljević(Police General)
Milorad Ulemek(Secret police)
Nebojša Čović(Head of Coordination Center for Southern Serbia)
Dragan Dimitrijević † (Serbian General)
1,600 militants[7] 27 killed 400 surrendered to KFOR[9] 150 surrendered to Serbian police 18 policemen and soldiers killed 68 wounded
2 UN observers wounded[12]
15,000 refugees[13]The Insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an approximately two year-long armed conflict between 1999 and 2001, between the
Background
Before the insurgency Preševo Valley was home to approximately 100,000 people, of whom 70,000 were Albanians and another 30,000 Serbs. Albanians make up to 95% of Preševo, 63% of Bujanovac and 26% of Medveđa population. The region is sometimes referred to as Eastern Kosovo by Albanians. The Albanian-populated region became a part of Serbia in 1913, after the First Balkan War.
From 1945 to 1946
In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)[20] which started attacking police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.[21] According to Serbian officials, the KLA killed 10 policemen and 24 civilians.[22] After escalating tensions between increasing Yugoslav security forces and the KLA, the Kosovo War started in February 1998.[23][24][25]
The war itself was a parallel conflict between the
Ground Safety Zone
With the signing of the Kumanovo agreement, the provisions designed the creation of a 5-kilometre-wide safety zone around Kosovo's border and into the FRY if necessary.[27][28][29] A 25-kilometre-wide air safety zone was also designed by the provisions of the agreement.[28] Only lightly armed police in groups of up to ten were allowed to patrol,[30] and banned the FRY from using planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons. The GSZ consisted of 5 sectors:
- Sector C west – from Plav to the Albanian border
- Sector A – from Rožaje to Medveđa
- Sector D – parts of Medveđa, Leskovac, Lebane and Vranje municipalities
- Sector B – from Medveđa to Preševo
- Sector C east – border with Macedonia to village of Norča[31]
UÇPMB
In June 1999, a new Albanian militant insurgent group was formed by Shefket Musliu,[32] called the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), began training in the GSZ, which was witnessed by the KFOR.[33][34] The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac into Kosovo.[35]
Due to the FRY's inability to use any heavy weapons against the UÇPMB, the group expanded and occupied all villages related to Sectors B and C east, with the exception of Gramada. They divided the sectors into three zones:
- North zone – Muhovac (command), Ravno Bučje, Pribovce, Zarbince, Suharno, Đorđevac, Čar
- Center zone – Veliki Trnovac (command), Breznica, Mali Trnovac, Dobrosin, Končulj, Lučane, Turija
- South zone – Bukovac, Gospođince, Mađare, Ilince, Depce, Masurica, Sefer, Kurbalija, Gornja Šušaja, Karadak
The North zone was commanded by
History
1999
After
2000
Conflict escalated in 2000. On 16 January three Serbs civilians from village Pasjane were killed by rebels in a Ground Safety Zone on a road Gjilan – Preševo.[36] After the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević, the new government requested that NATO and KFOR suspend the demilitarized zone around Kosovo, in fear that a new war could erupt. Vojislav Koštunica wanted the US to reduce or disband the zone.[37] In November 2000, four policemen were, killed and others wounded.[38] Božo Prelević, one of Serbia's three interior ministers, said Serbian police would return to the zone "with all available means" unless a deadline to end the attacks end was met. On 24 November a KFOR-mediated ceasefire was agreed to.[39] From December 30-31, on the road from Gjian – Preševo, the UÇPMB took 6 Serbian civilians hostage. They were all released shortly after through the mediation of the KFOR and the FRY.[40]
-
Territory of Preševo Valley claimed by Albanian irredentists -
Territory controlled by Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac in 2001
2001
On 5 February the fiercest fighting in the
Clashes around Bujanovac
 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2024) |
In July 2000 UÇPMB launched an offensive or in order to take the town of Bujanovac. The battle was conducted in the areas of Končulj, Dobrosin, Lučane and Devojačka Čuka as well as in the wider area around Mali Trnovac, Muhovac and Đorđevac. The UÇPMB clashed with the Serbian security forces began in July 2000 and were aimed at conquering the communication Bujanovac-Gjilan and taking over the villages of the municipality of Bujanovac. The fighting was intensified in November 2000, when the police, under the influence of a threefold strength of the UÇPMB, withdrew from the security checkpoints that were fought, occupying defensive positions closer to Bujanovac. The fighting broke into a pat-position at the end of November 2000 after the arrival of the JSO as well as military and police reinforcements to the south of Serbia. The conflicts were of low intensity, and were mainly reduced to occasional rebel attacks where the police only responded when the lives of its members were endangered. The offensive UÇPMB in the battle near Bujanovac started on 21 November 2000, after two days of provocations and strong attacks on the positions of the police. That day, about 500 guerrillas, who were incomparably better armed than the police, were unhindered from Kosovo to the municipality of Bujanovac, and in addition to the presence of strong forces of the American KFOR contingent with the administrative line of Serbia and Kosovo.
In the period from 12:25 to 17:00 on 21 November, Albanians committed synchronized attacks on the Dobrosin security checkpoint, and on the positions of the police on the corners of Devojačka Čuka and Osoje. Three policemen were killed and five wounded by sniper fire from the UÇPMB.[40] After the shooting, the Ministry of Affairs conducted a counter-terrorism operation.[50]
At 12:25, 12:55 and 15:30, attacks on the Dobrosin puncture were made from mortars, automatic and sniper weapons and machine guns, when Gropi's observatory was hit on two occasions with more than 5 mines.
At 12:48, an attack from mortars, infantry weapons, machine guns and brownies was carried out to local police positions at the Devojačka Čuka Corner, and at 13:30 the rebels were also operating at the corner of Osoje with a fire from a mortar.
Due to strong actions, members of the Special Police Units from Gornji Milanovac were forced to withdraw from the communication Konculj – Lucane – Bujanovac, along the width of the road. Police withdrawal was hampered and slowed due to lack of knowledge of the terrain. During the withdrawal, a fierce infantry attack by Albanian rebels from the wider region of Tuštica and Visoko was followed when the observation post on the Gropi hill was occupied. In this attack, rebels captured three members of the MUP. They were taken to their camp in the territory of Kosovo where they were tormented by the religious leaders and eventually liquidated.
Around 17:00 the withdrawal of the people from the crisis zones was terminated because it was found that at the Dobrosin point there was a mortar of 60 millimeter, a sniper and automatic rifle, two combat ammunition kits, 6 inductor phones and more. Rebels then carry out another attack on the police patrol in Dobrosin. After this attack, police officers were withdrawn from the Municipality of Bujanovac in order to prevent further conflicts and reorganize police units. Thus, the rebels occupied the area around Dobrosin, Lucana, Konculja, Mali Trnovac and Breznica, as well as 4 police stations.
After the end of these conflicts, at night 21–22. In November, besides members of the American contingent of KFOR, about 1,000 rebels had been armed to their teeth, and entered the wider Bujanovac area. Among them were Albanians from Western European countries, from Albania and Kosovo. They immediately carried out the forced mobilization of Albanian military capable men over the age of 18. They took private vehicles and sent it all to the first combat ranks.
After establishing themselves, the following day they continued with armed attacks. In the period from 11:15 to 12:05 and from 12:30 to 15:30 on 22 November, from the direction of the villages of Dobrosin and Končulj, Albanian rebels carried out attacks from automatic weapons and mortars to the police in the village of Lučane. Later, in the period between 21:45 and 23:15, the rebels carried out attacks on the police in the village of Djordjevac from mortars, hand grenades (fired 20–30 mines) and infantry weapons. The next day, on 23 November, around 10:00, Albanian rebels carried out an attack with 5 mines from mortars and brownies to the police patrol in the village of Djordjevac.
In response to these conflicts, the FRY demanded an urgent session of the UN Security Council to condemn the attacks. FRY President Vojislav Koštunica wrote to NATO Secretary General George Robertson with the expectation that KFOR will no longer allow incursions to southern Serbia and similar incidents. At its headquarters in Brussels, NATO emphasized that it opposed the UÇPMB's downfall, while KFOR on the other announced that it would not tolerate the possible effects of the VJ in the Ground Safety Zone.
KFOR kept all the roads leading to Dobrosin, the village where the rebels were concentrated, were blocked. During this blockade, on one track, a truck driver was arrested who tried to smuggle weapons and ammunition for the rebels through the US checkpoint. In the fireplace were mortars, anti-personnel mines, machine guns and 5,000 bullets. Searching terrain KFOR found a 62 mm mortar, 16 mortar shells, one hand grenade, one automatic rifle with 2200 bullets and 25 bullets for a pistol. This hidden weapon belonged to rebels who carried out attacks from the territory of Kosovo without crossing the administrative line. There were also 10 unarmed rebels in black uniforms who tried to illegally enter the south of Serbia.
Čović's Plan
In February 2001, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Head of Coordination Center for Southern Serbia Nebojša Čović proposed the plan for resolving the crisis in Preševo Valley. The plan calls for joint police forces of local ethnic Albanians and Serbs, in proportion to the ethnic groups' populations in the area.[51] The proposal calls for integrating the valley's ethnic Albanian population into mainstream Serbian political and social life. It also offers civil rights guarantees and promises of economic development. The plan doesn't provide autonomy for the region or possible annexation to Kosovo. Instead, it is providing decentralization to local authorities. The plan also calls for demilitarization of the Preševo Valley and disbandment of UÇPMB. All rebel controlled areas should be returned to Serbia. Every rebel that surrenders will be promised a pardon from the Yugoslav government. The plan was accepted, and Albanians signed the demilitarization agreement in a village of Končulj.[52]
Operation Return
UNMIK )
Return of the Yugoslav Army to Sector C – EastAt 06:30 on 14 March 2001, the return of the Јoint Security Forces to the GSZ, Sector C (East Charlie), from the outer line of this zone, started. The Yugoslav forces were deployed west, from the Preševo-Miratovac line, in three directions: towards the villages of Miratovac, Norča and Trnava. Lieutenant-General Lieutenant-General Ninoslav Krstić was led by Lieutenant-General Lieutenant-Colonel Ninoslav Krstic. The Chief of the General Staff of the VJ, Lieutenant-General Nebojsa Pavković, Commander of the Third Army, Lieutenant General Vladimir Lazarević, Commander of the Priština Corps Major General Radojko Stefanović, General Obrad Stevanović and several other Yugoslav Army officers. The return operation was followed by the President of the FRY Coordination Body for South Serbia Nebojša Čović and members of the Coordination Body Mica Markovic and Milovan Čogurić. Entering sector C, on the triple border of Serbia, Macedonia and Kosovo, it was free of incidents. Already at 07:20, Nebojša Pavković told FRY President Vojislav Koštunica that the operation is taking place successfully. There were no land mines on the ground, nor did they see armed groups of Albanian rebels. In the sky above Macedonia, several Cobra KFOR helicopters were observed that supervised the operation. In Sector C – East, the first units that entered were engineering units that were tasked with examining the whole field and eliminating the danger of the set mines. Soon, simultaneously with them, other members of the Army entered the zone led by General Pavković and other commanders. When Pavković entered the part of the C sector, Lieutenant Colonel David Olvein, a military attaché of the US Embassy, was watching events with extreme care, but at the same time he was very surprised when he received information that the planned time of 10 hours, ended up taking positions in just 2 hours.[53] Return of the Yugoslav Army C – west and sector AAfter entering the eastern part of Sector C, on 22 March 2001, the KFOR command led by General Kabigoszu, in a meeting with Yugoslav representatives in Merdare, approved the entry of the Yugoslav Army into the western part of Sector C (along the border of Montenegro and Kosovo) and sector A (to the border line with the municipality of Medveđa). The return to these parts of the GSZ, carried out by the Second Army of the YA, started at 07:00 on 25 March. According to Colonel Radosav Mihailović, the on-site operation, the operation was carried out without incidents and according to the foreseen plan, followed by members of the Coordination Body, KFOR representatives as well as EU observers. This operation restored the state sovereignty of the FRY over the border belt of municipalities: Plav, Berane, Rožaje, Tutin, Novi Pazar, Raška, Brus and Kuršumlija. The total length of the western part of Sector C and Sector A was 263 km, and the width was 5 km, that is, in total, about 1300 km2.[53] Return of the Yugoslav Army to Sector DThe preparations of the Yugoslav Army to enter Sector D of the Ground Security Zone (the border region of Medveđa municipality) began after the meeting of General Ninoslav Krstić with the representative of KFOR in Merdare near Kuršumlija on 2 April 2001. The agreement on entry into Sector D was signed in Merdare on 12 April by Ninoslav Krstić and Nebojša Čović, as well as representatives of KFOR. Earlier, Albanian rebels attacked police positions in the village of Marovac, the municipality of Medveđa, with two mortar shells, and attacked members of the local police in Beli Kamen, municipality of Medveđa. It was precisely in these regions that there were representatives of the Coordination Body who were preparing for the occupation of the sector D. After the preparations, Yugoslav forces from the outer circumference of sector D made a move from the starting positions and entry into sector D early in the morning of 14 April. The operation was monitored by KFOR teams, EU observers and numerous journalists. After a successful operation during which there was no conflict, General Ninoslav Krstić praised the members of Operation Group South and especially praised the members of the battle group of police who occupied the Ravna Banja region – Moravce sector D. The situation in this sector after the entry of the Yugoslav Army was a staple and there were no provocations by Albanian rebels.[53] Return of the Yugoslav Army to Sector BUÇPMB Commander Shefket Musliu, Ridvan Qazimi and Mustafa Shaqiri, signed a demobilization and demilitarization agreement of the UÇPMB on 21 May in Končulj, guaranteeing the safe and peaceful entry of the Yugoslav Army into Sector B of the GSZ[54][55] according to the following schedule: Zone B South until 22 May, Zone B Center until 31 May, while Zone B North was not under the control of rebels. The agreement was signed in the presence of Sean Sullivan, head of the NATO office for Yugoslavia. On the same day, the commander of the Joint Security Forces, General Ninoslav Krstić, met with the KFOR Commander in Merdare and on that occasion a document on the return of the VJ to Sector B. was signed. To accomplish this task, new special anti-terrorist and anti-trust units of the Joint Security Forces have been engaged. The action was carried out with the coordination of KFOR and by 24 May, the Army had occupied 90 percent of the B-South and B North zones without encountering any resistance from rebels. The operation was continued to remove mines and seize weapons, ammunition and military equipment. During the occupation of the northern zone of sector B on 24 May, during the exchange of fire between the VJ and the UÇPMB, the rebel commander Ridvan Qazimi, in the area of the Guri Gat Hill (Black Stone) near Veliki Trnovac, was killed. The conflict lasted from 11:30 to 15:00. Qazimi was in custody with three other rebels, and when he got up and went to his jeep, he was hit in the head. It was later revealed that he had been killed by a sniper.[54][56] After the death of Qazimi, various stories began to circulate in the south of Serbia, from killing the infected UÇPMB faction members about the distribution of the remaining plunder, to escaping to Kosovo and then to Albania. At the press conference, Nebojša Čović denounced the information that Qazimi was with Sean Sullivan at the time, and he removed doubts about the fate of Ridvan Qazimi, saying he was killed in a confrontation with Serbian security forces. He also praised the way B South and B North were occupied, adding that the Army will not enter Zone B Center, where the highest concentration of rebels is located, until 31 May. The Yugoslav Army performed the last operation during the GSZ's occupation on 31 May, entering the B Center zone. The return of members of the Yugoslav Army to the central part of the sector has been restored sovereignty over this part of the territory of the FRY, and the entire action was completed by 12:00, when the Serbian security forces entered the administrative line with Kosovo. During the operation, there were no conflicts or provocations by rebels or Albanian civilians. After entering the village of Dobrosin, the center of the rebels, police carried out an inspection of 14 abandoned accommodation facilities. In the presence of the President of the Local Community Dobrosin, Reshat Salihi, they found 2 anti-personnel mines, uniforms and military equipment, three radio stations, 100 medical items and others. During the deployment of the Yugoslav Army along the left border of the central part of Sector B, at the Visoko Bilo, sergeant Bratislav Milinković (1957), a member of the 63rd Parachute Brigade from Niš, aimed at a counter-attack mine and received a severe injury to his left leg. He was taken to the military hospital in Bujanovac and then transferred to further treatment in Niš. With the entry of the Joint Security Forces in the Zone B Center, Operation Return was completed and control over the entire Ground Safety Zone was restored, ending the conflicts in southern Serbia.[53] Battle of Oraovica The FR Yugoslavia and Albanian militant group before Serbs entered last sector of Ground Security Zone. Since the village was outside GSZ, Yugoslav forces were allowed to use heavier weapons, such as M-84 tank. On 14 May Yugoslav forces launched an attack on UÇPMB stronghold in this Albanian-populated place near the border with Kosovo .
Fighting began on 14 May at 06:10 by an attack on Yugoslav forces. At 07:00 guerrillas attacked Serbian police and army again and fired three rocket towards the village. More incidents happened during the day until 20:00. On 15 May Serbian forces captured Oraovica although UÇPMB attacked them at 14:15.[57] Debates were high on how many casualties there were. Yugoslav troops sustained no casualties.[57] While the UÇPMB had 2 casualties.[57] Yugoslavia claims that 14-20 were killed, 8 wounded and that 80 were captured. Končulj AgreementThe Demilitarization Statement, or the FR Yugoslavia and the UÇPMB on 20 May 2001. The Končulj Agreement was the first agreement related to this part of Serbia (Preševo, Medveđa, and Bujanovac).[58] The agreement ended the conflicts that spilled over from Kosovo, with political representatives from the local Albanians, Serbia and Kosovo committing to demilitarization.[58]
It sought for the full demilitarization, demobilization and disarmament of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB).[59] It also calls for integration of ethnic Albanians into governmental, civic, economic and police structures, and support from the international community to implement the so-called Čović Plan.[59] The agreement was signed by Serbian president Vojislav Koštunica and Shefket Musliu, the highest UÇPMB commander who surrendered.[5] According to the agreement, Yugoslav troops were allowed safe access to Sector B of Preševo.[54][55] NATO representative Sean Sullivan witnessed the agreement as a broker of the talks in absence of direct communication between the UÇPMB and the FRY government. "It's time to use other means than weapons," says Shefket Musliu, the highest commander of one of fractions of the UÇPMB, as he signed the Končulj agreement to lay down his arms.[43] At the same time, the Serbian side agreed to sign the Statement on conditional amnesty for members of the UÇPMB, which promised amnesty to UÇPMB members from 23 May 2001.[60] AftermathAbout 400 Albanians surrendered to KFOR and another 150 to Serbian police. They were not charged for Macedonia, while others joined newly formed Liberation Army of Eastern Kosovo.[61] Because of lack of members LAEK isn't active.[62] Several attacks on the Serb forces and civilians were recorded after the end of the war.
After reoccupation of GSZ, Serbia separated it into 3 sectors. The sector B is stretching from 4th Land Force Brigade situated in the city of Vranje. There are about eleven bases in this area.[63] In 2009 largest military base in Serbia, Cepotina, was opened 5 km from Bujanovac .
In 2002 in Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac had 57,595 ethnic Albanians. However, they boycotted the 2011 census, so only 6,000 people were recorded. It is estimated that Preševo Valley today has around 50,000 Albanians. Since the year 2002, has been low intensity skirmishes and illegal logging incidences in the Preevo valley since the end of the conflict which have resulted in many casualties. Casualties and displacementDuring the conflict, 18 members of the Yugoslav security forces were killed and 68 were wounded. Eight ethnic Serbian civilians were also killed.[64] Some of the deaths were caused by mines.[1] In 2013, UÇPMB veterans erected a memorial with the names of 27 insurgents who were killed in the conflict.[65] A further 400 were reported to have surrendered to KFOR.[66] Seven ethnic Albanian civilians were also killed.[11] Two United Nations observers were wounded, according to reports.[12] 2002–2004 violence
Low-intensity clashes continued over the next years. Chronology of most important events: 2002
2003
2004
Several attacks on army were recorded in this period, such as: attack on watchtower in Čarska kula, sabotage on the pillar through which is powered the base of near Dobrosin and the stoning of a military motor vehicle in the village of Lučane.[10] 2009 attacksOn 9 July 2009, two members of Serbian Macedonia for attacks on police in 2005.[75]
2012–2013 monument crisis In November 2012, a monument dedicated to the 27 killed UÇPMB fighters, was erected in Preševo's main square.[76] The Government of Serbia was against it, therefore, they enforced an ultimatum to the local government to remove it.[76][77][78][79] On 16 May the deadline expired.[80] On 20 May, the Serbian Gendarmery surrounded the city with 200 men,[76][78][79] backed up by heavily armored vehicles and bulldozers,[81] started removing the monument with a bagger at 7:00 AM. At least 2,000 ethnic Albanians protested in the southern Serbian town of Preševo to protest against the removal of a memorial to fallen Albanian guerrillas.[76] The operation was led by general Bratislav Dikić.[71] This crisis raised the tension in the Preševo Valley once again. 2014 attack on the GendarmeryOn 25 January 2014 a Norwegian citizen suspected to be a Wahhabi member attacked Gendarmery in Preševo. He was killed in a crossfire with the police. His motive was unknown.[68] Illegal loggingDuring the last years, numerous incidents of illegal logging have been registered in Ground Safety Zone, reportedly involving armed groups from the territory of Kosovo. One of the incidents occurred during August 2021 when a patrol of the Serbian Army in the area called Ugljarski krš spotted a group of 12 people illegally cutting down the forest. Upon the arrival of the military patrol, the forest thieves fired a bullet into the air. The patrol reacted–it fired a warning shot and headed towards the group The forest thieves then ran away in the direction of the Kosovo side of the administrative line, but two more bursts were heard in the immediate vicinity. There were no injuries in the incident, but, as announced by the Ministry of Defence, the Serbian Army was put on high alert in that area. Attacks by forest thieves on army and police patrols in the administrative zone of the Kuršumlija municipality especially intensify at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, when Albanians from Kosovo illegally cut down the forest in this area. To steal the forest, as the residents of the sparsely populated Kuršumlija villages in this area point out, forest thieves usually come armed.[82] During 2021 alone, 56 occurrences of illegal logging have been recorded by Serbian authorities.[83] Reactions
See also
Notes
References
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