125-403: UÇK may refer to: Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës, UÇK ) National Liberation Army (NLA; Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare Kombëtare, UÇK ) See also [ edit ] UCK (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
250-503: A 2001 report by Human Rights Watch (HRW): The KLA was responsible for serious abuses... including abductions and murders of Serbs and ethnic Albanians considered collaborators with the state. Elements of the KLA are also responsible for post-conflict attacks on Serbs, Roma, and other non-Albanians, as well as ethnic Albanian political rivals... widespread and systematic burning and looting of homes belonging to Serbs, Roma, and other minorities and
375-632: A 5-kilometre-wide Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) was created. It served as a buffer zone between the Yugoslav Army and the Kosovo Force (KFOR). In June 1999, a new Albanian militant insurgent group was formed under the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), which started training in the GSZ. The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, which escalated into an insurgency . With
500-487: 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. In February 2001, Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Head of Coordination Center for Southern Serbia Nebojša Čović proposed
625-502: A crackdown in the region which resulted in population displacements. The bloodshed, ethnic cleansing of thousands of Albanians driving them into neighbouring countries and the potential of it to destabilize the region provoked intervention by international organizations, such as the United Nations , NATO and INGOs . NATO conducted a bombing campaign against Yugoslav forces and provided air support to KLA. In September 1999, with
750-624: 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 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
875-547: A distance with mortars , so the Serbs couldn't respond. After Kosovo Liberation Army disbanded according to the peace agreement that ended Kosovo War , its veterans and members founded Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac in a village of Dobrosin . Their goal was the secession of three Albanian populated municipalities from Serbia and their annexation to Kosovo. Fighting between police and separatist began in June 1999 in
1000-493: A new Albanian militant insurgent group was formed by Shefket Musliu , called the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), began training in the GSZ, which was witnessed by the KFOR. The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining Preševo , Medveđa and Bujanovac into Kosovo. Due to the FRY's inability to use any heavy weapons against
1125-463: A new war could erupt. Vojislav Koštunica wanted the US to reduce or disband the zone. In November 2000, four policemen were, killed and others wounded. 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. From 30-31 December, on
1250-585: A number of former KLA members, including the former president of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi . A key precursor to the Kosovo Liberation Army was the People's Movement of Kosovo (LPK). This group, who argued Kosovo's freedom could be won only through armed struggle, traces back to 1982, and played a crucial role in the creation of the KLA in 1993. Fund-raising began in the 1980s in Switzerland by Albanian exiles of
1375-547: A part of Serbia in 1913, after the First Balkan War . From 1945 to 1946 Preševo and Bujanovac were a part of newly established Autonomous Oblast of Kosovo and Metohija inside the Federated State of Serbia . In 1946 they were transferred to Central Serbia in exchange for a part of Serb inhabited modern-day North Kosovo . During the breakup of Yugoslavia , on 1 and 2 March 1992 Albanians from Preševo Valley held
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#17330942735671500-517: A speech in support of American equipping the KLA with weaponry, comparing it to French support of America in the Revolutionary War . There have been reports of war crimes committed by the KLA both during and after the conflict. These have been directed against Serbs, other ethnic minorities (primarily the Roma ) and against ethnic Albanians accused of collaborating with Serb authorities. According to
1625-510: 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. UÇPMB Commander Shefket Musliu, Ridvan Qazimi and Mustafa Shaqiri, signed
1750-513: A village of Končulj . At 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
1875-505: 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. During the conflict, 18 members of the Yugoslav security forces were killed and 68 were wounded. Eight ethnic Serbian civilians were also killed. Some of
2000-519: Is estimated that those funds amounted from $ 75 million to $ 100 million and mainly came from the Albanian diaspora in Switzerland, United States and Germany. The KLA received the majority of its funds through the Homeland Calls Fund, but significant funds were also transferred directly to the war zones. Apart from the financial contributions, the KLA also received contributions in kind, especially from
2125-545: Is stretching from Medveđa to the border with Republic of Macedonia . It is controlled by 4th Land Force Brigade situated in the city of Vranje . There are about eleven bases in this area. 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
2250-654: The Albanian rebellion of 1997 . During 1997–98, the Kosovo Liberation Army moved ahead of Rugova's LDK, a fact starkly illustrated by the KLA's Hashim Thaçi leading the Kosovar Albanians at the Rambouillet negotiations of spring 1999, with Rugova as his deputy. In February 1996, the KLA undertook a series of attacks against police stations and Yugoslav government officers, saying that they had killed Albanian civilians as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign. Later that year,
2375-520: The Interpol General Secretariat claimed that half of the funding that had reached the KLA, which he estimated to have been 900 million DM in total, may have come from drug trafficking. Mother Jones obtained a congressional briefing paper for the U.S. Congress, which stated: "We would be remiss to dismiss allegations that between 30 and 50 percent of the KLA's money comes from drugs." Furthermore, journalist Peter Klebnikov added that after
2500-566: The Kosovo Protection Corps , which worked alongside NATO forces patrolling the province. In 2000 there was unrest in Mitrovica , with a Yugoslav police officer and physician killed, and three officers and a physician wounded, in February. In March, the FRY complained about the escalation of violence in the region, claiming this showed that the KLA was still active. Between April and September
2625-567: The Kumanovo Treaty that ended the Kosovo War , which created a buffer zone between FR Yugoslavia and Kosovo . 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
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#17330942735672750-556: The NLA . They did that until there disarmament on 21 May 2001. Some of its veterans joined newly formed National Liberation Army in Republic of Macedonia . Around 400 guerrillas surrendered in order to get the pardon from the Yugoslav government. UÇPMB commander Shefket Musliu surrendered to KFOR on 26 May. Until August 2001 there were around 1,160 attacks on Serb police and civilians. In July 2000 UÇPMB launched an offensive or in order to take
2875-483: The OSCE 's Kosovo Verification Mission : Upon my arrival the war increasingly evolved into a mid intensity conflict as ambushes, the encroachment of critical lines of communication and the [KLA] kidnapping of security forces resulted in a significant increase in government casualties which in turn led to major Yugoslavian reprisal security operations... By the beginning of March these terror and counter-terror operations led to
3000-456: The United Nations , would enter as a peacekeeping force, while Yugoslav military forces were to withdraw. It was agreed that the KLA would disband by 19 September 1999. According to the agreement there would be a demilitarized zone around Kosovo. Serbs could only use police squads with up to 10 members. This buffer zone was used by Albanian guerrillas for attacks against Serbian forces. The Preševo valley conflict erupted in June 1999, but there
3125-534: The violence of 1981 and subsequent émigrés. Slobodan Milošević revoked Kosovan autonomy in 1989, returning the region to its 1945 status, ejecting ethnic Albanians from the Kosovan bureaucracy and violently putting down protests. In response, Kosovar Albanians established the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). Headed by Ibrahim Rugova , its goal was independence from Serbia, but via peaceful means. To this end,
3250-423: The Albanian diaspora. According to some sources, the KLA may have received funds from individuals involved in drug trade. However insufficient evidence exists that the KLA itself was involved in such activities. For example, Swiss citizens believe that elements of the Albanian community in Switzerland control narcotics trade in Switzerland. Some of the money earned through these illegal activities may have gone to
3375-639: 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 ,
3500-598: The British weekly The European carried an article by a French expert stating that "German civil and military intelligence services have been involved in training and equipping the rebels with the aim of cementing German influence in the Balkan area. (...) The birth of the KLA in 1996 coincided with the appointment of Hansjoerg Geiger as the new head of the BND (German secret Service). (...) The BND men were in charge of selecting recruits for
3625-520: 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
3750-535: 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
3875-497: The FRY issued several documents to the UN Security Council about violence against Serbs and other non-Albanians. Some people from non-Albanian communities such as the Serbs and Romani fled Kosovo, some fearing revenge attacks by armed people and returning refugees and others were pressured by the KLA and armed gangs to leave. The Yugoslav Red Cross had estimated a total of 30,000 refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo, most of whom were Serb. The UNHCR estimated
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4000-863: 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
4125-617: The KLA and their numbers ranged from several dozen into the thousands. Following the war some Albanians from Macedonia have felt that their military participation and assistance to fellow Kosovan Albanians during the conflict has not been properly recognised in Kosovo. Former KLA spokesman Jakup Krasniqi said that volunteers came from "Sweden, Belgium, the UK, Germany and the U.S.". The KLA included many foreign volunteers from West Europe, mostly from Germany and Switzerland, and also ethnic Albanians from
4250-563: The KLA are clearly responsible for many of these crimes". A Serbian court sentenced 9 former KLA members for murdering 32 non-Albanian civilians. In the same case, another 35 civilians are missing while 153 were tortured and released. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1989, entered into force on 2 September 1990 and was valid throughout
4375-464: The KLA as a terrorist organisation of militant Islam. The CIA advised the KLA to avoid involvement with Muslim extremists. The KLA rejected offers of assistance from Muslim fundamentalists. There was an understanding within the ranks of the KLA that foreign assistance from Muslim fundamentalists would limit support toward the cause of Kosovo Albanians in the West. After the war, the KLA was transformed into
4500-406: The KLA began in the late 1980s with armed resistance to Yugoslav police trying to take Albanian activists in custody. By the early 1990s there were attacks on police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians. By mid-1998 the KLA was involved in frontal battle though it was outnumbered and outgunned. Conflict escalated from 1997 onward due to the Yugoslav army retaliating with
4625-451: The KLA command structure from the 500,000 Kosovars in Albania." Matthias Küntzel tried to prove later on that German secret diplomacy had been instrumental in helping the KLA since its creation. Serbian authorities denounced the KLA as a terrorist organisation and increased the number of security forces in the region. This had the effect of boosting the credibility of the embryonic KLA among
4750-574: The KLA consisted of only a few hundred fighters. Within the context of the armed struggle, in 1996-1997 a report by the CIA noted that the KLA could mobilize tens of thousands of supporters in Kosovo within a two to three year time frame. By the end of 1998, the KLA had 17,000 men. Religion did not play a role within the KLA and some of its most committed fund raisers and fighters came from the Catholic community. Albanian recruits from neighbouring Macedonia joined
4875-448: The KLA continuing violent struggles in southern Serbia (1999–2001) and northwestern Macedonia (2001), which resulted in peace talks and greater Albanian rights. Former KLA leaders also entered politics, some of them reaching high-ranking offices. The KLA received large funds from Albanian diaspora organizations. There have been allegations that it used narcoterrorism to finance its operations. Abuses and war crimes were committed by
5000-615: The KLA during and after the conflict, such as massacres of civilians, prison camps and destruction of cultural heritage sites. In April 2014, the Assembly of Kosovo considered and approved the establishment of a special court to try cases involving crimes and other serious abuses allegedly committed in 1999–2000 by members of the KLA. In June 2020 the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office filed indictments for crimes against humanity and war crimes against
5125-468: The KLA killed 10 policemen and 24 civilians. After escalating tensions between increasing Yugoslav security forces and the KLA, the Kosovo War started in February 1998. The war itself was a parallel conflict between the Yugoslav Army and the KLA. It began in February 1998 and ended on 10 June 1999 when the Kumanovo Agreement was signed. According to the agreement, KFOR troops , supervised by
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5250-522: The KLA reverted to guerilla warfare and employed new tactics including the appointment of new commanders, central authorities, expanded training camps and military prisons. Some sources say that the KLA never won a battle, while others say it won relatively few battles. The KLA received large funds from the Albanian diaspora in Europe and the United States, but also from Albanian businessmen in Kosovo. It
5375-529: The KLA through contributions to the Homeland Calls Fund or through the usual funding channels in which individuals and businessmen engaged in legitimate economic activities donated. This however is insufficient evidence to claim that the KLA itself got involved in narcotics trade or other criminal activities. In a hearing before the United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security , Ralf Mutschke from
5500-478: The KLA, argues that "[a]ll available evidence refutes the proposition aggressively advanced by the Milosevic regime that the KLA was mainly financed by drug and prostitution money." The original core of KLA in the early 1990s was a closely knitted group of commanders consisting of commissioned and non commissioned officers belonging to reserve, regular and territorial defense units of the Yugoslav army (JNA). In 1996,
5625-459: The Kosovar Albanian population. Not long before NATO's military action commenced, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants reported that "Kosovo Liberation Army ... attacks aimed at trying to 'cleanse' Kosovo of its ethnic Serb population." One of the goals mentioned by the KLA commanders was the formation of Greater Albania , irredentist concept of lands that are considered to form
5750-624: The Kosovo Liberation Army before NATO's bombing of Yugoslavia". James Bissett , Canadian Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania, wrote in 2001 on the Toronto Star that media reports indicate that "as early as 1998, the Central Intelligence Agency assisted by the British Special Air Service were arming and training Kosovo Liberation Army members in Albania to foment armed rebellion in Kosovo. (...) The hope
5875-524: The Kosovo War, the KLA changed their tactics from hit and run operations to conventional warfare. In July 1998, the KLA captured the cities of Rahovec and Malisheva and expanded their occupation of territory to 40% of Kosovo. However, without enough manpower and heavy weaponry to defend their gains, both cities quickly fell to Yugoslav forces. Their occupation of Rahovec was marred by acts of atrocities committed against Serbian civilians. On 24 August 1998,
6000-528: The LDK set up and developed a "parallel state" with a particular focus on education and healthcare. Albanian nationalism was a central tenet of the KLA and many in its ranks supported the creation of a Greater Albania , which would encompass all Albanians in the Balkans, stressing Albanian culture , ethnicity and nation. It was considered a terrorist group until the breakup of Yugoslavia . The KLA itself disavowed
6125-534: The March one-week ceasefire was agreed again, after four policeman were killed. Army first entered the section on a border with Republic of Macedonia (Sector C East), in order to stop illegal arms smuggling. Afterwards KFOR allowed Serbs to return to Sector C West and A on 25 March, and zone D on 14 April. On 21 May Albanian commanders signed the Končulj agreement and agreed to disarm, but many continued to fight. Last section
6250-576: The Members of Parliament criticised the report, citing lack of evidence, and Marty responded that a witness protection program was needed in Kosovo before he could provide more details on witnesses because their lives were in danger. In 2011, France 24 obtained a classified document which dated back to 2003 and revealed that the UN knew about the organ trafficking before it was mentioned by Carla del Ponte in 2008. In July 2014, American attorney Clint Williamson ,
6375-445: The NATO bombing, KLA-linked heroin traffickers began using Kosovo again as a major supply route. Citing German Federal Police , he said that in 2000, an estimated 80% of Europe's heroin supply was controlled by Kosovar Albanians. According to scholars Gary Dempsey and Roger Fontaine, by 1999, Western intelligence agencies estimated that over $ 250m of narcotics money had found its way into KLA coffers. Scholar Henry Perritt , who studied
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#17330942735676500-720: The Pre%C5%A1evo Valley [REDACTED] FR Yugoslavia Insurgency The insurgency in the Preševo Valley was an approximately two year-long armed conflict between 1999 and 2001, between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the ethnic Albanian separatists of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). There were instances during the conflict in which the Yugoslav government requested KFOR support in suppressing UÇPMB attacks since they could only use lightly armed military forces as part of
6625-460: The Serbian government, while Aleksandar Vučić has stated that there is no evidence that the murder was committed by Albanians, as previously believed. The Serbian Organised Crime Prosecutor's Office launched a new investigation in 2016 and reached the conclusion that the massacre was not perpetrated by Albanians. Many years after the incident, the Serbian government has officially acknowledged that it
6750-758: The U.S. According to the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, by September 1998 there were foreign mercenaries from Albania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Muslims ) and Chechnya in the KLA ranks. Citing a 2003 report by the Serbian government, academics Lyubov Mincheva and Ted Gurr claim that the Abu Bekir Sidik mujahideen unit of 115 members operated in Drenica in May–June 1998, and dozen of its members were Saudis and Egyptians, reportedly funded by Islamist organizations. They further claim that
6875-449: The United States and Switzerland. These included weapons, but also military fatigues, boots and other supporting equipment. The KLA received its funding in multiple, decentralized ways. Apart from the Homeland Calls Fund, which mostly went to KLA operations in the Drenica region, the KLA also received donations through personal contacts of commanders with Albanians in the diaspora. Members of
7000-578: The UÇPMB had 2 casualties. Yugoslavia claims that 14-20 were killed, 8 wounded and that 80 were captured. The Demilitarization Statement, or the Končulj Agreement , was a ceasefire signed between 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). The agreement ended the conflicts that spilled over from Kosovo, with political representatives from
7125-533: 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: The North zone was commanded by Muhamet Xhemajli , the Center zone was commanded by Ridvan Qazimi , and the South zone was commanded by commanded by Shaqir Shaqiri . After his arrest in 2001, he was replaced with Mustafa Shaqiri . The UÇPMB only attacked Serbs from
7250-399: 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
7375-479: The War Criminals (2008) that there were instances of organ trafficking in 1999 after the end of the Kosovo War . The allegations have been rejected by Kosovar authorities as fabrications while the ICTY has said "no reliable evidence had been obtained to substantiate the allegations". In early 2011 the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs viewed a report by Dick Marty on the alleged criminal activities and alleged organ harvesting controversy; however,
7500-424: 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
7625-435: 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. Debates were high on how many casualties there were. Yugoslav troops sustained no casualties. While
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#17330942735677750-476: The border with Kosovo. On 16 February near the border town of Podujevo seven Serb civilians were killed after Niš-Ekspres bus with refugees from Kosovo was blown up by the UÇPMB. After that, on 7 March 2001, KFOR agreed to allow Serb military to reoccupy the GSZ section by section. In one village where the UÇPMB still stood, a guerrilla fighter died in an accidental explosion. At the same time Albanian guerrillas started mutiny in Republic of Macedonia. During
7875-415: The conflict. Article 38 of this Convention state the age of 15 as the minimum for recruitment or participation in armed conflict. Article 38 requires state parties to prevent anyone under the age of 15 from taking direct part in hostilities and to refrain from recruiting anyone under the age of 15 years. The participation of persons under the age of 18 in the KLA was confirmed in October 2000 when details of
8000-470: The creation of a 'Greater Albania'. The KLA made their name known publicly for the first time in 1995, and a first public appearance followed in 1997, at which time its membership was still only around 200. Critical of the progress made by Rugova, the KLA received boosts from the 1995 Dayton Accords — these granted Kosovo nothing, and so generated a more widespread rejection of the LDK's peaceful methods — and from looted weaponry that spilled into Kosovo after
8125-537: The deaths were caused by mines. In 2013, UÇPMB veterans erected a memorial with the names of 27 insurgents who were killed in the conflict. A further 400 were reported to have surrendered to KFOR. Seven ethnic Albanian civilians were also killed. Two United Nations observers were wounded, according to reports. Ongoing Low-intensity clashes continued over the next years. Chronology of most important events: Several attacks on army were recorded in this period, such as: attack on watchtower in Čarska kula, sabotage on
8250-488: The destruction of Orthodox churches and monasteries... combined with harassment and intimidation designed to force people from their homes and communities... elements of the KLA are clearly responsible for many of these crimes. The KLA engaged in tit-for-tat attacks against Serbs in Kosovo, reprisals against ethnic Albanians who "collaborated" with the Serbian government, and bombed police stations and cafes known to be frequented by Serb officials, killing innocent civilians in
8375-410: The diaspora usually stressed the difficulties through which KLA's soldiers were going through to fight an uneven battle. They often used stories of KLA members or civilian survivors of massacres to convince others to donate. After collection, the money was then transferred to its destination in different ways. The secrecy of the Swiss banking system allowed some of the funding to be transferred directly to
8500-468: The entire Ground Safety Zone was restored, ending the conflicts in southern Serbia. The Battle of Oraovica was a conflict between Army and Police of 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
8625-569: The entrance of a building in Preševo where ethnic Albanian member of Gendarmery lived with his family. His wife and son were injured. Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dačić described this attacks as a terrorist act. Same night police conducted an operation on a border with Kosovo, cutting illegal arms smuggling to central Serbia . Minister Dačić also said they found large amounts of weapons and ammunition in village Norča near Preševo . The Government of Serbia accused former UÇPMB high-ranking member Lirim Jakupi, known as "Commander Nazi ". He
8750-412: The erection of monuments and commemorative events. The exploits of Adem Jashari have been celebrated and turned into legend by former KLA members and by Kosovar Albanian society. Several songs, literature works, monuments, memorials have been dedicated to him, and some streets and buildings bear his name across Kosovo. After the end of the Kosovo War in 1999 with the signing of the Kumanovo agreement ,
8875-435: The fighting over and an international force in place within Kosovo, the KLA was officially disbanded and thousands of its members entered the Kosovo Protection Corps , a civilian emergency protection body that replaced the KLA and Kosovo Police Force, as foreseen in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 . The ending of the Kosovo war resulted in the emergence of offshoot guerilla groups and political organisations from
9000-443: The figure at 55,000 refugees who had fled to Montenegro and Central Serbia , most of whom were Kosovo Serbs: "Over 90 mixed villages in Kosovo have now been emptied of Serb inhabitants and other Serbs continue leaving, either to be displaced in other parts of Kosovo or fleeing into central Serbia." In post war Kosovo, KLA fighters have been venerated by Kosovar Albanian society with the publishing of literature such as biographies,
9125-491: The first period, 335 were civilians, 351 soldiers, 230 police and 72 were unidentified. By nationality, 87 of the killed civilians were Serbs, 230 Albanians, and 18 of other nationalities. Following the withdrawal of Serbian and Yugoslav security forces from Kosovo in June 1999, all casualties were civilians, the vast majority being Serbs. According to Human Rights Watch, as "many as one thousand Serbs and Roma have been murdered or have gone missing since 12 June 1999... elements of
9250-483: 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
9375-440: 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
9500-461: The former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues , announced that he and his team had found "compelling indications" that approximately 10 prisoners had been killed so their organs could be harvested. "The fact that it occurred on a limited scale does not diminish the savagery of such a crime," Williamson said, but added that the level of evidence was insufficient to file charges against any particular individual. Insurgency in
9625-427: The group was later disbanded, and no permanent Jihadist presence was established.The failure of Islamists groups to gain a foothold with the ranks of the separatist movement is related to the secular foundation of Albanian nationalism and the heavily secular attitudes of Kosovo Albanians which did not leave room for the development of Islamist ideologies. During the Kosovo conflict Milošević and his supporters portrayed
9750-467: The highest commander of one of fractions of the UÇPMB, as he signed the Končulj agreement to lay down his arms. 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. About 400 Albanians surrendered to KFOR and another 150 to Serbian police. They were not charged for war crimes according to
9875-413: The inhabitants of numerous villages fleeing, or being dispersed to either other villages, cities or the hills to seek refuge... The situation was clearly that KLA provocations, as personally witnessed in ambushes of security patrols which inflicted fatal and other casualties, were clear violations of the previous October's agreement [and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1199 ]. At one point during
10000-472: 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
10125-477: The local Albanians, Serbia and Kosovo committing to demilitarization. It sought for the full demilitarization, demobilization and disarmament of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB). 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. The agreement
10250-584: 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
10375-528: The locations where military equipment would be purchased. From the United States, most of the money was legally carried by individuals in suitcases, who reported to the FBI and other federal authorities that they were sending money to the KLA. The KLA also received some funding from the Three-Percent Fund, which was set up by the institutions of Republic of Kosova led by Bujar Bukoshi and was also collected from
10500-515: 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
10625-515: The municipality of Kuršumlija , and later spread to Medveđa , Bujanovac and Preševo . The UÇPMB established many bases in mountains and plains around the towns of Bujanovac and Preševo. The militants were centered in the village of Veliki Trnovac . Because of restricted movement in that area, police and army were unable to stop them. On 21 November two policeman were killed by land mine. Serbs responded on attacks with more checkpoints and patrols. During 1999 rebels did not enter an open conflict with
10750-560: The murder of nine prisoners from the camp who were marched to the Berisha Mountains on 25 or 26 July 1998 and killed. Bala appealed the sentence and the appeal is still pending. The United States (and NATO) directly supported the KLA. The CIA funded, trained and supplied the KLA (as they had earlier the Bosnian Army ). As disclosed to The Sunday Times by CIA sources, "American intelligence agents have admitted they helped to train
10875-535: The national homeland by many Albanians, encompassing Kosovo, Albania, and the ethnic Albanian minority of neighbouring Macedonia and Montenegro . Between 5 and 7 March 1998, the Yugoslav Army launched an operation on Prekaz . The operation followed an earlier firefight (28 February) in which four policemen were killed and several more were wounded; Adem Jashari , a KLA leader, escaped. In Prekaz, 28 militants were killed, along with 30 civilians, most belonging to Jashari's family. Amnesty International claimed that it
11000-558: 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,
11125-404: The pillar through which is powered the base of near Dobrosin and the stoning of a military motor vehicle in the village of Lučane . On 9 July 2009, two members of Serbian Gendarmery were wounded after unnamed 'terrorists' launched a grenade at their Land Rover near the village of Lučane . Another vehicle in the same patrol and nearby houses were also damaged. On 14 July bomb exploded near
11250-489: 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. 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
11375-432: 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,
11500-401: 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
11625-427: The police. Instead, they battled them with the mortars from the distance, so Serbs were unable to respond. 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 . After the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević , the new government requested that NATO and KFOR suspend the demilitarized zone around Kosovo, in fear that
11750-491: 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
11875-462: 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. After
12000-440: 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
12125-491: The process. Most of its activities were funded by drug running, though its ties to community groups and Albanian exiles gave it local popularity. The Panda Bar incident , a massacre of Serb teenagers in a café, led to an immediate crackdown on the Albanian-populated southern quarters of Peć during which Serbian police killed two Albanians. This has been alleged by the Serbian newspaper Kurir to have been organized by
12250-491: 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
12375-562: The referendum about their future status in Serbia. The majority, 97% of voters demanded autonomy for the valley and the right to join Republic of Kosova . Serbian government rejected the referendum as unconstitutional and illegal. In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) which started attacking police forces and secret-service officials and abused Albanian civilians in 1995. According to Serbian officials,
12500-420: 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
12625-504: The registration of 16,024 KLA soldiers by the International Organization for Migration in Kosovo became known. Ten percent of this number were under the age of 18. The majority of them were 16 and 17 years old. Around 2% were below the age of 16. These were mainly girls recruited to cook for the soldiers rather than to actually fight. Carla Del Ponte , a long-time ICTY chief prosecutor, claimed in her book The Hunt: Me and
12750-491: 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 . On 5 February the fiercest fighting in the Preševo valley happened since the end of the 1999 Kosovo conflict. The Yugoslav army exchanged artillery fire for several hours across the internationally imposed buffer zone next to
12875-520: 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,
13000-441: 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. After 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
13125-514: The shooting, the Ministry of Affairs conducted a counter-terrorism operation. 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
13250-709: The signing of the Končulj Agreement in May 2001, the former KLA and UÇPMB fighters next moved to western Macedonia where the National Liberation Army (NLA) was established, which fought against the Macedonian government in 2001. Ali Ahmeti organized the NLA from former KLA and UÇPMB fighters from Kosovo, Albanian insurgents from the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac in Serbia, young Albanian radicals, nationalists from Macedonia, and foreign mercenaries. The acronym
13375-495: 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 km . The preparations of the Yugoslav Army to enter Sector D of the Ground Security Zone (the border region of Medveđa municipality) began after
13500-687: The title UÇK . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=UÇK&oldid=1256531906 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Articles containing Albanian-language text Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Kosovo Liberation Army Wartime events Aftermath Aspects The Kosovo Liberation Army ( KLA ; Albanian : Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës [uʃˈtɾija t͡ʃliɾimˈtaɾɛ ɛ ˈkɔsɔvəs] , UÇK )
13625-457: 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
13750-416: 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,
13875-496: 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
14000-494: 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
14125-543: The Čović Plan and Končulj Agreement. Most of UÇPMB members joined the AKSH and the NLA's war in Macedonia , while others joined newly formed Liberation Army of Eastern Kosovo. Because of lack of members LAEK is not active. 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
14250-462: Was a military operation focused primarily on the elimination of Jashari and his family. On 23 April 1998, the Yugoslav Army (VJ) ambushed the KLA near the Albanian-Yugoslav border . The KLA had tried to smuggle arms and supplies into Kosovo. The Yugoslav Army, although greatly outnumbered, had no casualties, while 19 militants were killed. According to Roland Keith, a field office director of
14375-541: Was also wanted by Macedonia for attacks on police in 2005 . In November 2012, a monument dedicated to the 27 killed UÇPMB fighters, was erected in Preševo's main square. The Government of Serbia was against it, therefore, they enforced an ultimatum to the local government to remove it. On 16 May the deadline expired. On 20 May, the Serbian Gendarmery surrounded the city with 200 men, backed up by heavily armored vehicles and bulldozers, started removing
14500-466: Was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo , the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the 1990s. Albanian nationalism was a central tenet of the KLA and many in its ranks supported the creation of a Greater Albania , which would encompass all Albanians in the Balkans, stressing Albanian culture , ethnicity and nation. Military precursors to
14625-461: Was around Preševo (sector B). On 24 May, the Serbian army entered the town, although Albanian fighters were attacking them. There, one of the rebel commanders, Ridvan Qazimi "Lleshi" was killed. It is not clear whether he was killed by police or by other insurgents. After the Serb victory, the UÇPMB agreed to disarm. During the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia , the UÇPMB continuously funded and supported
14750-543: Was honored by the Albanian American Civic League at a New Jersey located fundraising event on 23 July 2001. President of the League, Joseph J. DioGuardi , praised Rohrabacher for his support to the KLA, saying "He was the first member of Congress to insist that the United States arm the Kosovo Liberation Army, and one of the few members who to this day publicly supports the independence of Kosovo." Rohrabacher gave
14875-576: 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
15000-456: 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. 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
15125-546: Was no major fighting until 2000. 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. A 25-kilometre-wide air safety zone was also designed by the provisions of the agreement. Only lightly armed police in groups of up to ten were allowed to patrol, and banned the FRY from using planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons. The GSZ consisted of 5 sectors: In June 1999,
15250-629: Was perpetrated by agents of the Serbian Secret Service. The exact number of victims of the KLA is not known. According to a Serbian government report, the KLA had killed and kidnapped 3,276 people of various ethnic descriptions including some Albanians. From 1 January 1998 to 10 June 1999 the KLA killed 988 people and kidnapped 287; in the period from 10 June 1999 to 11 November 2001, when NATO took control in Kosovo, 847 were reported to have been killed and 1,154 kidnapped. This comprised both civilians and security force personnel. Of those killed in
15375-445: Was signed by Serbian president Vojislav Koštunica and Shefket Musliu , the highest UÇPMB commander who surrendered. According to the agreement, Yugoslav troops were allowed safe access to Sector B of Preševo. 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,
15500-417: Was that with Kosovo in flames NATO could intervene ...". According to Tim Judah , KLA representatives had already met with American, British, and Swiss intelligence agencies in 1996, and possibly "several years earlier". American Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher , while opposed to American ground troops in Kosovo, advocated for America providing support to the KLA to help them gain their freedom. He
15625-586: Was the same as the KLA's in Albanian. A number of KLA figures now play a major role in Kosovar politics. Hajredin Bala, an ex-KLA prison guard, was sentenced on 30 November 2005 to 13 years' imprisonment for the mistreatment of three prisoners at the Llapushnik prison camp , his personal role in the "maintenance and enforcement of the inhumane conditions" of the camp, aiding the torture of one prisoner, and of participating in
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