Battle of Glođane

The Battle of Glođane (Serbian: Битка за Глођане / Bitka za Glođane, Albanian: Beteja e Glloxhanit) occurred in the village of Glođane in 1998 between the Kosovo Albanian militant group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav military and Serbian police forces^[a] during the Kosovo War. The clashes represented a series of military offensives launched by the Yugoslav army and Serbian police to address a growing KLA presence within Kosovo Albanian villages.[4]

Battle of Glođane
Part of the Kosovo War
Date 11–12 August 1998 Location Glodjane, near Gjakova Result Yugoslav victory[1]
Belligerents
FR Yugoslavia	Kosovo Liberation Army
Commanders and leaders
Sreten Lukić	Ramush Haradinaj Bekim Berisha
Strength
500 soldiers and policemen	250 insurgents
Casualties and losses
5 policemen killed 2 soldiers killed 10 policemen wounded[2]	7 killed 49 wounded[3]

Background

In Kosovo, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) forces gained strength and tended to control villages away from the main roads while Yugoslav military forces were positioned on the hills around Lake Radonjić.[5] Throughout the summer of 1998, Yugoslav forces shelled Albanian villages surrounding Lake Radonjić on a daily basis.[6]

Clashes

The Yugoslav forces first broke through the KLA lines and entered Glođane around 10–11 August 1998 as reported by BBC Correspondent Jeremey Cooke who was on the scene. He reported that the Serbs "knew they had the upper hand" and had "shelled and machine-gunned" the village of Glođane into submission.[7] Cooke reported seeing houses shelled and livestock slaughtered to prevent rebels from reentering the village; the Serbian paramilitary police were involved in the operation.[8]

The next military offensive involving Glođane occurred in the beginning of September.[9] KLA forces had regrouped and in September, the Yugoslav military moved through the villages around the lake in order to attack and expel the KLA: Colonel John Crosland an English military officer attached to the VJ, witnessed this first hand commented on the destruction caused by those forces.[10] He noted that he personally witnessed looting and burning of houses by Yugoslav forces and that the village of Prilep was razed to 18 inches about the ground.[11] He stated that VJ forces, Serbian police forces and paramilitary police forces including (MUP, PJP, SAJ) and JSO (Frenki's boys) were involved in the offensive.[12]

During the operation, KLA member Idriz Gashi murdered a civilian suspected of collaborating with Yugoslav police. Her body was dropped into the Radonjić Lake where, along with other bodies, was found in September 1998. Gashi was found guilty and was sentenced to 14 years in prison by the Kosovo Supreme Court in 2010.[13]

See also

• Timeline of the Kosovo War

References

1. Mojsilovic, Julijana (13 August 1998). "KLA rebels lose stronghold". London: The Independent. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
2. "Serbs 'take' Kosovo rebel base". BBC. 14 August 1998. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
3. "Serbs Seize One Rebel Redoubt, Attack Second". Los Angeles Times. 13 August 1998. Retrieved 3 March 2013.
4. "Public Testimony of John Crosland, transcript". U.N. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
5. "Trial Chamber Judgment - para 148". U.N. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
6. "Trial Chamber Judgment - para 96". U.N. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
7. "ICTY Public Testimony of Achilleas Papas page 4284". U.N. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
8. "ICTY Public Testimony of Achilleas Papas page 4284". U.N. 17 May 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
9. "Public Testimony of John Crosland, transcript". U.N. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
10. "Public Testimony of John Crosland, transcript page 4666-4670". U.N. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
11. "Public Testimony of John Crosland, transcript page 4666-4670". U.N. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
12. "Public Testimony of John Crosland, transcript page 4666-4670". U.N. 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 28 December 2013. Retrieved 6 February 2013.
13. The Supreme Court of Kosovo Sentences Former KLA Member Idriz Gashi to 14 Years in Prison for the Commitment of a War Crime, 1 December 2010

Notes

a.

^ In the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (1992-2003) and its successor Serbia and Montenegro (2003-2006), the security structure meant that there was one national army (Vojska Jugoslavije) but separate police divisions per republic. All operations carried out by the Serbian police during the Kosovo war were sanctioned by and represented the central government in Belgrade.