Glogovac attack

Glogovac attack
	Part of the pre–war period
Date	22 May 1993
Location	Drenas, Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, FR Yugoslavia
Result	KLA victory
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army	FR Yugoslavia Serbian Police (MUP);
Commanders and leaders
Hashim Thaçi; Ilaz Kodra	Unknown
Casualties and losses
None	5 killed; 2 wounded

The Glogovac attack was an armed confrontation in May 1993, where the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) ambushed Serbian police. This attack is considered the first armed engagement by the KLA. The incident was carried out by Hashim Thaçi, also known as "The Snake," who later became one of the leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army.^[2]

As a result, Hashim Thaçi was later pursued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, according to Articles 551 and 554 of the Criminal Procedure Code and the order of the District Court in Pristina, K-37/97. He was sought for the purpose of serving a 10-year prison sentence.^[3]

Background

Formation of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)

The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was established in the early 1990s as a paramilitary organization with the primary aim of achieving Kosovo's independence from Yugoslavia. It was composed mainly of ethnic Albanians who were dissatisfied with the treatment of Kosovo Albanians under Yugoslav and Serbian rule. The KLA emerged during the crisis in Bosnia, forming as a small radical group in late 1992 and early 1993. Initially, it consisted mostly of a few Kosovar Albanians who were members of an activist radical leftist organization from the early 1980s known as the Levizja Popullore e Kosovës (LPK), or the People's Movement of Kosovo. The LPK consistently advocated for Kosovo's independence and resisted Serbian control.^[4]

The KLA initially engaged in low-intensity guerrilla warfare, targeting Serbian police and military forces in Kosovo. Over time, the organization gained support from the Kosovo Albanian diaspora and other sympathizers, which helped in securing funds, weapons, and volunteers.

Incident

In May 1993, a politically motivated attack took place in Drenas, carried out by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) under the leadership of Hashim Thaçi and his associates. Concealed gunmen ambushed a police vehicle, resulting in the deaths and injuries of several Serbian policemen.^[5]^[6]

Aftermath

The Serbian government condemned the attack as an act of terrorism. Hashim Thaçi, the leader of the KLA, was held responsible for the attack and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Casualties and injuries

According to authors like Mijajlović, the KLA is reported to have killed 5 Serbian police officers and injured 2 during the attack.^[7] However, other sources, such as those from the Western European Union, claim that the attack resulted in 2 police officers being killed and 5 others injured.^[8] A later source, a 2007 article by author Rathfelder in the German newspaper ZEITUNG, which covered Hashim Thaçi's biography, stated that the KLA under Thaçi's command had killed 4 Serbian police officers.^[9]

References

^ Mijajlovic, Mihajlo S.; Anicic, Djordje S. (2022-01-28). Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter: Eyewitness Accounts from Those Who Were There. Air World. ISBN 978-1-5267-8043-0. Some journalists claim that a May 1993 attack in Glogovac that left five Serbian policemen dead and two wounded was the first attack carried out by the KLA.
^ Rathfelder, Erich (2007-12-10). "Hashim Thaci in Kosovo: Die Häutung der Schlange". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-07-29. Am 25. Mai überfiel er mit einigen Genossen die Eisenbahnlinie bei Glogovac, vier serbische Polizisten wurden dabei getötet. 1996 soll Thaci nach serbischen Angaben bei Peje (Pec) einen serbischen Polizeiwagen beschossen und Handgranaten in den serbischen Armeestützpunkt in Vucitrn geworfen haben. Wegen dieser Anschläge wurde er im Juli 1997 in Abwesenheit zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. (German) On May 25th he and some comrades attacked the railway line near Glogovac, killing four Serbian police officers. In 1996, according to Serbian information, Thaci shot at a Serbian police car near Peje (Pec) and threw hand grenades into the Serbian army base in Vucitörn. He was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison for these attacks in July 1997. (English)
^ Arsovska, Jana (2015-02-06). Decoding Albanian Organized Crime: Culture, Politics, and Globalization. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-28280-3.
^ Perritt, Henry H. (2010-10-01). Kosovo Liberation Army: The Inside Story of an Insurgency. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-09213-8.
^ Union, Western European (1999). Proceedings - Assembly of Western European Union: Actes Officiels - Assemblée de L'Union de L'europe Occidentale. W.E.U. attack of a political nature was recorded at Glogovac in May 1993 , when a police car was fired on by concealed marksmen lying in ambush . Two policemen died and five others were wounded
^ Vaknin, Sam (2004-04-08). Terrorists and Freedom Fighters. Narcissus Publications. Contrary to typically shallow information in the media, the KLA has been known to have operated in Kosovo as early as the attack on policemen in Glogovac in May 1993.
^ Mijajlovic, Mihajlo S.; Anicic, Djordje S. (2022-01-28). Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter: Eyewitness Accounts from Those Who Were There. Air World. ISBN 978-1-5267-8043-0. Some journalists claim that a May 1993 attack in Glogovac that left five Serbian policemen dead and two wounded was the first attack carried out by the KLA.
^ Union, Western European (1999). Proceedings - Assembly of Western European Union: Actes Officiels - Assemblée de L'Union de L'europe Occidentale. W.E.U. attack of a political nature was recorded at Glogovac in May 1993 , when a police car was fired on by concealed marksmen lying in ambush . Two policemen died and five others were wounded
^ Rathfelder, Erich (2007-12-10). "Hashim Thaci in Kosovo: Die Häutung der Schlange". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-07-29. Am 25. Mai überfiel er mit einigen Genossen die Eisenbahnlinie bei Glogovac, vier serbische Polizisten wurden dabei getötet. 1996 soll Thaci nach serbischen Angaben bei Peje (Pec) einen serbischen Polizeiwagen beschossen und Handgranaten in den serbischen Armeestützpunkt in Vucitrn geworfen haben. Wegen dieser Anschläge wurde er im Juli 1997 in Abwesenheit zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. (German) On May 25th he and some comrades attacked the railway line near Glogovac, killing four Serbian police officers. In 1996, according to Serbian information, Thaci shot at a Serbian police car near Peje (Pec) and threw hand grenades into the Serbian army base in Vucitörn. He was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison for these attacks in July 1997. (English)

[1] Mijajlovic, Mihajlo S.; Anicic, Djordje S. (2022-01-28). Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter: Eyewitness Accounts from Those Who Were There. Air World. ISBN 978-1-5267-8043-0. Some journalists claim that a May 1993 attack in Glogovac that left five Serbian policemen dead and two wounded was the first attack carried out by the KLA.

[2] Rathfelder, Erich (2007-12-10). "Hashim Thaci in Kosovo: Die Häutung der Schlange". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-07-29. Am 25. Mai überfiel er mit einigen Genossen die Eisenbahnlinie bei Glogovac, vier serbische Polizisten wurden dabei getötet. 1996 soll Thaci nach serbischen Angaben bei Peje (Pec) einen serbischen Polizeiwagen beschossen und Handgranaten in den serbischen Armeestützpunkt in Vucitrn geworfen haben. Wegen dieser Anschläge wurde er im Juli 1997 in Abwesenheit zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. (German) On May 25th he and some comrades attacked the railway line near Glogovac, killing four Serbian police officers. In 1996, according to Serbian information, Thaci shot at a Serbian police car near Peje (Pec) and threw hand grenades into the Serbian army base in Vucitörn. He was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison for these attacks in July 1997. (English)

[3] Arsovska, Jana (2015-02-06). Decoding Albanian Organized Crime: Culture, Politics, and Globalization. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-28280-3.

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

[5] Union, Western European (1999). Proceedings - Assembly of Western European Union: Actes Officiels - Assemblée de L'Union de L'europe Occidentale. W.E.U. attack of a political nature was recorded at Glogovac in May 1993 , when a police car was fired on by concealed marksmen lying in ambush . Two policemen died and five others were wounded

[6] Vaknin, Sam (2004-04-08). Terrorists and Freedom Fighters. Narcissus Publications. Contrary to typically shallow information in the media, the KLA has been known to have operated in Kosovo as early as the attack on policemen in Glogovac in May 1993.

[7] Mijajlovic, Mihajlo S.; Anicic, Djordje S. (2022-01-28). Shooting Down the Stealth Fighter: Eyewitness Accounts from Those Who Were There. Air World. ISBN 978-1-5267-8043-0. Some journalists claim that a May 1993 attack in Glogovac that left five Serbian policemen dead and two wounded was the first attack carried out by the KLA.

[8] Union, Western European (1999). Proceedings - Assembly of Western European Union: Actes Officiels - Assemblée de L'Union de L'europe Occidentale. W.E.U. attack of a political nature was recorded at Glogovac in May 1993 , when a police car was fired on by concealed marksmen lying in ambush . Two policemen died and five others were wounded

[9] Rathfelder, Erich (2007-12-10). "Hashim Thaci in Kosovo: Die Häutung der Schlange". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-07-29. Am 25. Mai überfiel er mit einigen Genossen die Eisenbahnlinie bei Glogovac, vier serbische Polizisten wurden dabei getötet. 1996 soll Thaci nach serbischen Angaben bei Peje (Pec) einen serbischen Polizeiwagen beschossen und Handgranaten in den serbischen Armeestützpunkt in Vucitrn geworfen haben. Wegen dieser Anschläge wurde er im Juli 1997 in Abwesenheit zu zehn Jahren Gefängnis verurteilt. (German) On May 25th he and some comrades attacked the railway line near Glogovac, killing four Serbian police officers. In 1996, according to Serbian information, Thaci shot at a Serbian police car near Peje (Pec) and threw hand grenades into the Serbian army base in Vucitörn. He was sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison for these attacks in July 1997. (English)

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