Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica: Difference between revisions

Ambush near Mitrovica
	Part of the Kosovo War
Date	8 January 1999
Location	Bare, 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; 8 captured (later released)

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The Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica (Serbian: Zaseda kod Kosovske Mitrovice; Albanian: Prita afër Mitrovicës) was an incident that occurred on 8 January 1999, when members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) ambushed a Yugoslav Interior Ministry convoy carrying rations to troops stationed in a field near Kosovska Mitrovica.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] Later that evening, two columns of Yugoslav troops, accompanied with at least fifty tanks, set off in the direction of Kosovska Mitrovica.^[4]^[7] The Yugoslav troops told journalists that they were heading toward the area where the captive troops were thought to be held.^[4]

Background

In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the KLA^[8] which started attacking Yugoslavian police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.^[9] 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.^[10]^[11]^[12] The shelling of the village of Slapužane by Yugoslav troops triggered the ambush by KLA forces.^[3]^[4]^[5]

Incident

On 8 January, soldiers of the KLA attacked and ambushed a Yugoslav convoy heading for Kosovska Mitrovica in the village Bare in the region Shala e Bajgorës.^[1] The KLA killed three Serb policemen, wounded one,^[2] and captured eight other policemen.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[13]^[14]

Aftermath

Talks between the Serbs and the KLA on the release of the captured soldiers were conducted in the village of Stari Trg. The ambush led to renewed fighting in the Podujevë area.^[13] The KLA followed up the ambush with another attack on a Serbian police patrol near the village of Slivovo, killing one police officer.^[2] 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.^[15]

References

^ ^a ^b Kurti, Miftar (2002). Vrojtime historike (in Albanian). Faik Konica. pp. 71–72. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Kosovo rebels kill 3 Serbs". The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "KOSOVO REBELS KILL 3 SERB POLICE, SEIZE 8 SOLDIERS IN AMBUSHES". Chicago Tribune. 9 January 1999. p. 6.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Serb forces gear up after rebels kill 3 officers, seize 8 soldiers". Deseret News. The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 6.
^ Smith, R. Jeffrey (1999-01-28). "SERBS TRIED TO COVER UP MASSACRE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
^ "CNN - Yugoslav army moves tanks into Kosovo villages - January 9, 1999". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
^ Eriksson, Mikael; Kostić, Roland (15 February 2013). Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. Routledge. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-136-18916-6.
^ Perritt, Henry H. (2010-10-01). Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency. University of Illinois Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-252-09213-8.
^ Independent International Commission on Kosovo (2000). The Kosovo Report (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0199243099. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
^ Quackenbush, Stephen L. (2015). International Conflict: Logic and Evidence. Los Angeles: Sage. p. 202. ISBN 9781452240985. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
^ "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
^ ^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.
^ Bird, Chris (1999-01-09). "Rebel killings put Kosovo truce at risk". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
^ Aertsen, Ivo; Arsovska, Jane; Vanspauwen, Kris; Valiñas, Marta; Rohne, Holger (2013). Restoring Justice After Large-scale Violent Conflicts - Kosovo, DR Congo and the Israeli-Palestinian Case. Willian Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-84392-302-2.

[Kurti-1] Kurti, Miftar (2002). Vrojtime historike (in Albanian). Faik Konica. pp. 71–72. Retrieved 2 September 2024.

[:5-2] "A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA". www.hrw.org. Retrieved 2023-11-25.

[:1-3] "Kosovo rebels kill 3 Serbs". The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 1.

[:0-4] "KOSOVO REBELS KILL 3 SERB POLICE, SEIZE 8 SOLDIERS IN AMBUSHES". Chicago Tribune. 9 January 1999. p. 6.

[:2-5] "Serb forces gear up after rebels kill 3 officers, seize 8 soldiers". Deseret News. The Associated Press. 9 January 1999. p. 6.

[6] Smith, R. Jeffrey (1999-01-28). "SERBS TRIED TO COVER UP MASSACRE". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-25.

[7] "CNN - Yugoslav army moves tanks into Kosovo villages - January 9, 1999". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-11-29.

[ErikssonKostić2013-8] Eriksson, Mikael; Kostić, Roland (15 February 2013). Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. Routledge. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-136-18916-6.

[9] Perritt, Henry H. (2010-10-01). Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency. University of Illinois Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-252-09213-8.

[10] Independent International Commission on Kosovo (2000). The Kosovo Report (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0199243099. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.

[11] Quackenbush, Stephen L. (2015). International Conflict: Logic and Evidence. Los Angeles: Sage. p. 202. ISBN 9781452240985. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-24.

[12] "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-08.

[:3-13] "USAID/OFDA Kosovo Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Update January 11, 1999 - Albania | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 1999-01-11. Retrieved 2023-10-15.

[14] Bird, Chris (1999-01-09). "Rebel killings put Kosovo truce at risk". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-11-29.

[Aertsenetal.2013-15] Aertsen, Ivo; Arsovska, Jane; Vanspauwen, Kris; Valiñas, Marta; Rohne, Holger (2013). Restoring Justice After Large-scale Violent Conflicts - Kosovo, DR Congo and the Israeli-Palestinian Case. Willian Publishing. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-84392-302-2.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Short description|Incident during the Kosovo War}}
-<!-- Note: The following pages were redirects to [[Ambush_near_Kosovska_Mitrovica]] before draftification:
-*[[Draft:Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica]]
--->
 {{Infobox military conflict
-| conflict          = Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica
+| conflict          = Ambush near Mitrovica
 | partof            = the [[Kosovo War]]
-| place             = [[Kosovska Mitrovica]], [[Serbia and Montenegro|FR Yugoslavia]]
+| place             = [[Bare, Mitrovica|Bare]], [[Mitrovica, Kosovo|Mitrovica]], [[Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija| ]] [[Serbia and Montenegro|FR Yugoslavia]]
 | date              = 8 January 1999
 | combatant1        = [[File:Coat of arms of the Kosovo Liberation Army.svg|22px]] [[Kosovo Liberation Army]]
 | combatant2        = {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia and Montenegro; Flag of Yugoslavia (1992–2003).svg}} [[Serbia and Montenegro|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]
 | result            = KLA victory
-| casualties1       = [[File:Coat of arms of the Kosovo Liberation Army.svg|22px]] 9 captured (later released)<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=20 April 2000 |title=KOSOVO POLITICAL/DIPLOMATIC/MILITARY CHRONOLOGY |url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmfaff/28/9111807.htm}}</ref>
+| casualties1       = [[File:Coat of arms of the Kosovo Liberation Army.svg|22px]] unknown
-| casualties2       = {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia and Montenegro; Flag of Yugoslavia (1992–2003).svg}} 3 killed<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia and Montenegro; Flag of Yugoslavia (1992–2003).svg}} 1 wounded<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosovo/Obrinje6-07.htm |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=www.hrw.org}}</ref><br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia and Montenegro; Flag of Yugoslavia (1992–2003).svg}} 8 captured (later released)<ref name=":4" />
+| casualties2       = [[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|20px]] 3 killed<br />[[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|20px]] 1 wounded<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |title=A WEEK OF TERROR IN DRENICA |url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kosovo/Obrinje6-07.htm |access-date=2023-11-25 |website=www.hrw.org}}</ref><br />[[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|20px]] 8 captured (later released)
-| units1            = [[File:Coat of arms of the Kosovo Liberation Army.svg|22px]] unknown
+| units1            = [[File:Coat of arms of the Kosovo Liberation Army.svg|22px]] 141st Brigade “Mehë Uka”<ref name="Kurti">{{cite book|last=Kurti|first=Miftar|title=Vrojtime historike|year=2002|publisher=Faik Konica|url=https://dukagjinibooks.com/en/books/19145 |access-date=2 September 2024|pages=71–72|language=sq}}</ref>
-| units2            = {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia and Montenegro; Flag of Yugoslavia (1992–2003).svg}} [[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro|Yugoslav Army]]
+| units2            = [[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|20px]] [[Armed Forces of Serbia and Montenegro|Yugoslav Army]]
-| image             = Ethnic Albanians fleeing Slapuzani after shelling from Yugoslav forces.png
+| image             =
+| caption           =
-| caption           = Ethnic Albanians fleeing Slapuzani to escape clashes after shelling from Yugoslav forces.
 }}
-The '''Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian]]: ''Zaseda kod Kosovske Mitrovice'') was an incident that occurred on 8 January 1999, when members of the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA) ambushed a [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia)|Yugoslav Interior Ministry]] convoy carrying rations to troops stationed in a field near [[Kosovska Mitrovica]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=Kosovo rebels kill 3 Serbs |pages=1 |work=[[The Associated Press]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19990109&id=7M0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=09wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1170,1331353}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=KOSOVO REBELS KILL 3 SERB POLICE, SEIZE 8 SOLDIERS IN AMBUSHES |page=6 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-01-09-9901090267-story.html?adlt=strict&toWww=1&redig=DA8DE5646EB7461F916EC39A41645459}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=Serb forces gear up after rebels kill 3 officers, seize 8 soldiers |page=6 |newspaper=[[Deseret News]] |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/1/9/19425868/serb-forces-gear-up-after-rebels-kill-3-officers-seize-8-soldiers?adlt=strict&toWww=1&redig=7D05CE7295DF4A78A93A22E8172065A3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=R. Jeffrey |date=1999-01-28 |title=SERBS TRIED TO COVER UP MASSACRE |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/28/serbs-tried-to-cover-up-massacre/7f77c7e7-7a87-472e-b177-f679a76a2454/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Later that evening, two columns of Yugoslav troops set off in the direction of Kosovska Mitrovica.<ref name=":0" /> The Yugoslav troops told journalists that they were heading toward the area where the captive troops were thought to be held.<ref name=":0" />{{Campaignbox Kosovo War}}
+The '''Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica''' ({{langx|sr|Zaseda kod Kosovske Mitrovice}}; {{langx|sq|Prita afër Mitrovicës}}) was an incident that occurred on 8 January 1999, when members of the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] (KLA) ambushed a [[Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbia)|Yugoslav Interior Ministry]] convoy carrying rations to troops stationed in a field near [[Kosovska Mitrovica]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=Kosovo rebels kill 3 Serbs |pages=1 |work=[[The Associated Press]] |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1893&dat=19990109&id=7M0wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=09wFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1170,1331353}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=KOSOVO REBELS KILL 3 SERB POLICE, SEIZE 8 SOLDIERS IN AMBUSHES |page=6 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1999-01-09-9901090267-story.html?adlt=strict&toWww=1&redig=DA8DE5646EB7461F916EC39A41645459}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=9 January 1999 |title=Serb forces gear up after rebels kill 3 officers, seize 8 soldiers |page=6 |newspaper=[[Deseret News]] |agency=[[The Associated Press]] |url=https://www.deseret.com/1999/1/9/19425868/serb-forces-gear-up-after-rebels-kill-3-officers-seize-8-soldiers?adlt=strict&toWww=1&redig=7D05CE7295DF4A78A93A22E8172065A3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=R. Jeffrey |date=1999-01-28 |title=SERBS TRIED TO COVER UP MASSACRE |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1999/01/28/serbs-tried-to-cover-up-massacre/7f77c7e7-7a87-472e-b177-f679a76a2454/ |access-date=2023-11-25 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> Later that evening, two columns of Yugoslav troops, accompanied with at least fifty tanks, set off in the direction of Kosovska Mitrovica.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN - Yugoslav army moves tanks into Kosovo villages - January 9, 1999 |url=http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9901/09/kosovo.02/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.cnn.com}}</ref> The Yugoslav troops told journalists that they were heading toward the area where the captive troops were thought to be held.<ref name=":0" />{{Campaignbox Kosovo War}}
 == Background ==
+In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the KLA<ref name="ErikssonKostić2013">{{cite book |last1=Eriksson |first1=Mikael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EuVWELK7awsC&pg=PA43 |title=Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War? |last2=Kostić |first2=Roland |date=15 February 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-18916-6 |pages=43–}}</ref> which started attacking Yugoslavian police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Perritt |first=Henry H. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SlHqkxGk4Q8C |title=Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency |date=2010-10-01 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |isbn=978-0-252-09213-8 |page=63 |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |author=Independent International Commission on Kosovo |url=http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/6D26FF88119644CFC1256989005CD392-thekosovoreport.pdf |title=The Kosovo Report |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0199243099 |location=Oxford |page=2 |access-date=2020-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411181432/https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/6D26FF88119644CFC1256989005CD392-thekosovoreport.pdf |archive-date=2022-04-11 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Quackenbush |first=Stephen L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9c5DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 |title=International Conflict: Logic and Evidence |publisher=Sage |year=2015 |isbn=9781452240985 |location=Los Angeles |page=202 |access-date=2020-09-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111165732/https://books.google.com/books?id=l9c5DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA202 |archive-date=2023-01-11 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=June 1999 |title=Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo |url=https://www.ausa.org/sites/default/files/BB-82-Roots-of-the-Insurgency-in-Kosovo.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625175227/https://www.ausa.org/sites/default/files/BB-82-Roots-of-the-Insurgency-in-Kosovo.pdf |archive-date=2021-06-25 |access-date=2020-08-08}}</ref> The shelling of the village of Slapužane by Yugoslav troops triggered the ambush by KLA forces.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
-The pretext for the ambush was the shelling the village of [[Slapuzani]] by Yugoslav troops.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" />
 == Incident ==
-On 8 January, soldiers of the [[Kosovo Liberation Army]] attacked and ambushed a Yugoslav convoy heading for Kosovska Mitrovica. The KLA killed three [[Serbs|Serb]] policemen, wounded one,<ref name=":5" /> and captured eight other policemen.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1999-01-11 |title=USAID/OFDA Kosovo Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Update January 11, 1999 - Albania {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/albania/usaidofda-kosovo-disaster-assistance-response-team-dart-update-january-11-1999 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref> The Yugoslav army captured nine soldiers of the KLA.<ref name=":4" />
+On 8 January, soldiers of the KLA attacked and ambushed a Yugoslav convoy heading for Kosovska Mitrovica in the village [[Bare, Mitrovica|Bare]] in the region [[Shala e Bajgorës]].<ref name="Kurti" /> The KLA killed three [[Serbs|Serb]] policemen, wounded one,<ref name=":5" /> and captured eight other policemen.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=1999-01-11 |title=USAID/OFDA Kosovo Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) Update January 11, 1999 - Albania {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/albania/usaidofda-kosovo-disaster-assistance-response-team-dart-update-january-11-1999 |access-date=2023-10-15 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bird |first=Chris |date=1999-01-09 |title=Rebel killings put Kosovo truce at risk |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jan/09/1 |access-date=2023-11-29 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
 == Aftermath ==
-The ambush led to renewed fighting in the Podujevo area.<ref name=":3" /> The KLA followed up the ambush with another attack on a Serbian police patrol near the village of Slivovo, killing one police officer.<ref name=":5" /> The village of [[Račak]] served as the [[staging area]] for these ambushes, resulting in a significant build up of Yugoslav Army forces and subsequent [[Račak massacre|massacre]] on the village.<ref name="Aertsenetal.2013">{{cite book |last1=Aertsen |first1=Ivo |title=Restoring Justice After Large-scale Violent Conflicts - Kosovo, DR Congo and the Israeli-Palestinian Case |last2=Arsovska |first2=Jane |last3=Vanspauwen |first3=Kris |last4=Valiñas |first4=Marta |last5=Rohne |first5=Holger |date=2013 |publisher=Willian Publishing |isbn=978-1-84392-302-2 |pages=90–91}}</ref>
+Talks between the Serbs and the KLA on the release of the captured soldiers were conducted in the village of [[Stantërg|Stari Trg]]. The ambush led to renewed fighting in the [[Podujevë]] area.<ref name=":3" /> The KLA followed up the ambush with another attack on a Serbian police patrol near the village of Slivovo, killing one police officer.<ref name=":5" /> The village of [[Račak]] served as the [[staging area]] for these ambushes, resulting in a significant build up of Yugoslav Army forces and subsequent [[Račak massacre|massacre]] on the village.<ref name="Aertsenetal.2013">{{cite book |last1=Aertsen |first1=Ivo |title=Restoring Justice After Large-scale Violent Conflicts - Kosovo, DR Congo and the Israeli-Palestinian Case |last2=Arsovska |first2=Jane |last3=Vanspauwen |first3=Kris |last4=Valiñas |first4=Marta |last5=Rohne |first5=Holger |date=2013 |publisher=Willian Publishing |isbn=978-1-84392-302-2 |pages=90–91}}</ref>
 == References ==
-<!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. -->
 {{reflist}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Kosovska Mitrovica 1999}}
+[[Category:Ambushes of the Kosovo War]]
-[[Category:Military operations of the Kosovo War]]
 [[Category:1999 in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]
-[[Category:Ambushes in Europe]]
+[[Category:Mitrovica, Kosovo]]
-[[Category:Kosovo War]]
+[[Category:January 1999 events in Europe]]
 [[Category:Kosovo Liberation Army]]