Battle of Rezalla (1997)
42°46′N 20°49′E / 42.767°N 20.817°E
| Battle of Rezalla (1997) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in Kosovo (1995-1998) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kosovo Liberation Army |
 FR Yugoslavia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Hashim Thaçi[1] |
Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
22+ Insurgents |
Unknown but greater than the KLA Unknown number of vehicles and artillery 1 Helicopter | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
very minor |
Many killed unknown number of artillery and vehicles damaged and destroyed | ||||||
The Battle of Rezalla (1997) (Albanian: "Beteja e Rezallës" , Serbian: "Bitka kod rezale") was a battle fought during the Insurgency in Kosovo between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and FR Yugoslavia on 25–27 November 1997, in the region of Drenica. The battle is viewed as the first "large-scale" battle of the KLA.[1]
Battle
[edit]On 25 November, the Yugoslav police and army were supposed to conduct a raid on the village of Rezalla but were ambushed by KLA forces led by Adem Jashari which had previously hid in the woods. After retreating, Yugoslav forces reorganized and started crossing the Skenderaj-Klina road whilst helicopter scanned ahead. Adem Jashari gathered 22 KLA insurgents and waited in the narrow pass surrounding the road. When the Yugoslav vehicles came, the KLA insurgents fired at them killing many and damaging Yugoslav artillery and vehicles. Due to this, Yugoslav forces retreated to the village of Llausha where they shot 2 Albanian teachers who worked in the primary school of the village.[2]
Aftermath
[edit]On 28 November, after the battle ended, the KLA made their first public appearance at the funeral of one of the teachers killed by Serbian forces, giving a speech surrounded by a crowd consisting of hundreds of ethnic Albanian civilians.[3]
In January 1998, Yugoslav forces attacked the Jashari Household in Prekaz, but failed to kill Adem, Hamzë and Shaban Jashari, retreating to a nearby artillery factory.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Qeriqi, Ahmet (16 September 2024). "Çlirimtari Ramush Haradinaj dhe pacifisti Albin Kurti ku ishin gjatë luftës dhe ku janë tani". radiokosovaelire.com.
- ^ Geci, Rrustem (20 September 2016). "Liria perendesha e fitoreve". radiokosovaelire.com.
- ^ Qeriqi, Ahmet (17 February 2024). "Kosova një histori e shkurter deri ne pavarësi III". radiokosovaelire.com.