2011/06/25

Albanian-Yugoslav war

Albania-Yugoslav border incident (1999)

Albanian-Yugoslav border incident
Part of the Kosovo War
Date June 1999
Location Krumë, Kukës and surrounding villages
Result Albanian victory, Yugoslav forces withdraw
Belligerents
Albania Albanian Highlanders
Emblem of Albanian MoD.png Albanian Army		 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army
Commanders and leaders
Emblem of Albanian MoD.png Unknown
Units involved
Local Albanian militia
Unknown unit of the Albanian Army		 63rd Paratroop Battalion (Serbian brigade)
Strength
Unknown Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 50 paratroopers
Casualties and losses
Albania 1 militiaman wounded Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 38 Soldiers killed
3 civillians killed
16 civillians wounded by Serbian Mortars

An Albania-Yugoslav border incident took place at June 1999 when the Yugoslav Army shelled the Albanian border towns around Krumë, Tropojë. At those villages were refugees being housed after fleeing the war in Kosovo by crossing into Albania.

Background

Yugoslav paratroopers stormed into Albanian territory to close a route used by the Kosovo Liberation Army for arms transport. The Serbs crossed about 8 miles into Albanian territory before being halted by the village miltiamen. After a few kilometers the Yugoslav units were fired upon by armed Albanian villagers who were defendeding their villages and the advance was then halted. After some hours of firefighting, the Albanian regular army moved in and started shelling the Yugoslav positions with howitzers, Type 59 tanks and MLRS. Following the Armys arrival Within 10 minutes came the news that the Yugoslav forces were retreating from the village and that there were no Albanian casualties. The Albanian army fired artillery at the enemy forces After the battle, the Albanian army found the burned bodies of 38 VJ soldiers, but only one soldier could be identified with his driver's license. The Albanian Army was led by .

Yugoslav bombing

The Yugoslav Army dropped at least 10 shells on the town of Krumë, where hundreds of ethnic Albanian refugees from Kosovo had been living. The shelling, just before midnight, prompted a mass exodus of scared refugees to the town of Kukes, some 10 miles from the Kosovo-Albanian border.

External links

References

  1. Daly, Emma (14 April 1999). "War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-the-balkans-serbs-enter-albania-and-burn-village-1087030.html.
  2. Daly, Emma (14 April 1999). "War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-the-balkans-serbs-enter-albania-and-burn-village-1087030.html.
  3. ^ Fisher, Ian (7 June 1999). "Surge of Fighting on Kosovo-Albania Border / Refugees on the run again for safety". New York Times. http://articles.sfgate.com/1999-06-07/news/17692125_1_kosovo-liberation-army-prizren-kosovo-and-albania.
  4. Daly, Emma (14 April 1999). "War In The Balkans: Serbs enter Albania and burn village". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/war-in-the-balkans-serbs-enter-albania-and-burn-village-1087030.html.
  5. "Tropojë, gjendet predhë murtajë 100 m nga banesat". Balkanweb. 2 September 1999. http://lajme.parajsa.com/Shqiperia/id_54142/.
  6. Katamaj, Halil (2002), Kudusi Lama, gjenerali i luftes : Divizioni i Kukësit gjatë Luftës së Kosovës, Tiranë: Mokra, ISBN 9992778105

Further reading






Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania-Yugoslav_border_incident_(1999)
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