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Operation Eagle (Kosovo War)

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Operation Eagle
Part of the Kosovo War
Date15 August 1998
Location
Voksh and Sllup, in Deçan
Result KLA victory
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army
Commanders and leaders
Agim Ramadani
Bajram Mazrekaj[1]		 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Rađenović †
Units involved
"KOBRA" unit from the 3rd Operative Group GO-3 (later renamed to 138th Brigade "Agim Ramadani") Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslav Army
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Serbian police
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 53rd Border Battalion
Strength
8 soldiers Federal Republic of Yugoslavia unknown
Casualties and losses
none Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 6 killed

Operation Eagle was a military operation by the "Kobra Unit" of the Kosovo Liberation Army in the villages of Voksh and Sllup against Yugoslav forces. The engagement resulted in the deaths of six Yugoslav policemen and soldiers, meanwhile the KLA suffered no casualties. The KLA also managed to capture Yugoslav ammunition and equipment, before withdrawing back to the Yugoslav-Albanian border.

Background

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In 1989, Belgrade abolished self-rule in Serbia's two autonomous provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo.[2] Kosovo, a province inhabited predominantly by ethnic Albanians, was of great historical and cultural significance to Serbs.[3] Prior to the mid-19th century they had formed a majority in the province, but by 1990 represented only about 10 percent of the population.[4] Alarmed by their dwindling numbers, the province's Serbs began to fear they were being "squeezed out" by the Albanians, with whom ethnic tensions had been brewing since the early 1980s.[5] As soon as Kosovo's autonomy was abolished, a minority government run by Serbs and Montenegrins was appointed by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to oversee the province, enforced by thousands of heavily armed paramilitaries from Serbia-proper. Albanian culture was systematically repressed and hundreds of thousands of Albanians working in state-owned companies lost their jobs.[2]

In 1996, a ragtag group of Albanian nationalists calling themselves the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began attacking the Yugoslav Army (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Vojska Jugoslavije; VJ) and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbo-Croatian Latin: Ministarstvo unutrašnjih poslova; MUP) in Kosovo. Their goal was to separate the province from the rest of Yugoslavia, which following the separation of Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1991–92, became a rump federation made up of Serbia and Montenegro. At first the KLA carried out hit-and-run attacks: 31 in 1996, 55 in 1997, and 66 in January and February 1998 alone.[6] The group quickly gained popularity among young Kosovo Albanians, many of whom favored a more aggressive approach and rejected the non-violent resistance of politician Ibrahim Rugova.[7] It received a significant boost in 1997 when civil unrest in neighboring Albania led to thousands of weapons from the Albanian Army's depots being looted. Many of these weapons ended up in the hands of the KLA.[8] The group's popularity skyrocketed after the VJ and MUP attacked the compound of KLA leader Adem Jashari in March 1998, killing him, his closest associates and most of his extended family. The attack motivated thousands of young Kosovo Albanians to join the KLA, fueling the Kosovar uprising that eventually erupted in the spring of 1998.[9]

Attack

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On August 14, the Kobra unit orchestrated the evacuation of civilians and numerous wounded individuals from Junik, situated between the villages of Đocaj and Jasić.[10] Under the leadership of Agim Ramadani, the unit meticulously cleared the mined road for evacuation after every conceivable route had been booby-trapped.[10] Agim Ramadani devised and executed another Operation the following day.[10]

On August 15, 1998, Agim Ramadani, the commander of the 138th Brigade of the Kosovo Liberation Army, orchestrated Operation "Eagle" with the objective of assaulting the Žilović police station and Yugoslav forces in Voksh and Sllup, in the Deçan Municipality.[10] The operation was executed by 8 specialized KLA soldiers from the Kobra unit within the 138th Brigade, targeting a Yugoslav battalion.[10] The well planned attack started at 9:30 am and ended by 9:37 am.[10] Following the successful operation, the unit tactically withdrew, crossing the Yugoslav-Albanian border at 11:35 am.[10] The KLA seized a substantial quantity of weapons during the assault. There were no casualties among the Kobra unit,[10] while four Yugoslav policemen and two Yugoslav Soldiers were killed in the operation.[11][12]

List of the Yugoslav personnel killed in the attack

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  • Milorad Rađenović, Police Commander killed in Voksh.[11][12][13]
  • Zdravko Miskin, Policeman killed in Voksh.[11][12][14]
  • Dragoljub Šuković, Policeman killed in Voksh.[11][12][15]
  • Gojko Vojnović, Policeman killed in Voksh.[11][12][16]
  • Nikola Vujičić, Soldier killed in Voksh.[12]
  • Mišo Uboja, Soldier killed in Sllup.[12]

Aftermath

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Agim Ramadani withdrew to the Yugoslav-Albanian border and immediately after the attack, on the same day, at 12:30 am, Yugoslav forces launched a large-scale operation in the Deçan area. The offensive involved 46 tanks, four military jets, and eight helicopter gunships. Additionally, a significant number of troops, transported on 20 trucks and various other vehicles, were deployed in the offensive against the Albanian villages. The operation spanned eight villages in Deçan and ended at 6 pm.[17] In the following month on September 30, 1998, Agim Ramadani initiated his second notable operation against Yugoslav forces.[18][19] This operation, named "Operation Fenix", would simultaneously become his most renowned attack on Yugoslav forces, further solidifying his strategic prowess and leaving a lasting mark in the conflict.[20][21]

References

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  1. ^ Editori (2012-08-01). "FETNETE RAMOSAJ: BAJRAM VOKSHI - LUFTËTARI BESNIK I IDEALEVE TË ATDHEUT". Pashtriku (in Albanian). Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  2. ^ a b Adam LeBor (2002). Milosevic: A Biography. New York. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-300-10317-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ Miranda Vickers (1999). The Albanians: A Modern History. New York: I.B.Tauris. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-86064-541-9. Archived from the original on 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  4. ^ James Summers (2011). "Kosovo: From Yugoslav Province to Disputed Independence". In James Summers (ed.). Kosovo: A Precedent?. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL. p. 5. ISBN 978-90-474-2943-2.
  5. ^ Jasminka Udovički; James Ridgeway (2000). Burn This House: The Making and Unmaking of Yugoslavia. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-0-8223-2590-1.
  6. ^ Judah, Tim (2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-0-300-09725-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  7. ^ Dušan Janjić (2012). "Kosovo under the Milošević Regime". In Charles W. Ingrao; Thomas A. Emmert (eds.). Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies: A Scholars' Initiative (2nd ed.). West Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University Press. p. 293. ISBN 978-1-55753-617-4. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  8. ^ Judah, pp. x, 127–30
  9. ^ Judah, pp. 138–41
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Veprimtaria Kombëtare e Heroit të Kosovës Agim Ramadanit- Katana". Bota Sot. Archived from the original on 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Serbia Info News / Members of the Ministry of the Interior - Victims of Albanian Terrorism in 1998". nointervention.com. Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "List of killed, missing and disappeared 1998-2000". www.hlc-rdc.org. Archived from the original on 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  13. ^ "RAĐENOVIĆ (Steva) MILORAD – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-25.
  14. ^ "MISKIN (Mitra) ZDRAVKO – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  15. ^ "ŠUKOVIĆ (Nenada) DRAGOLJUB – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  16. ^ "VOJNOVIĆ (Mirka) GOJKO – Veterani PJP". Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  17. ^ "Kosova Daily Report #1522, 98-08-15". www.hri.org. Archived from the original on 2023-11-26. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
  18. ^ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. The indictment alleges that the eight accused men – Sicer Maloku, Gashi Xhafer, Demush Gacaferi, Deme Maloku, Agron Isufi, Anton Cuni, Rabit Alija and Rrustem Berisha – first prepared an ambush for Yugoslav Army border troops by laying anti-tank mines.
  19. ^ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. A Yugoslav Army tank detonated the mine, killing one soldier and wounding four others, and then the KLA fighters opened fire on an army helicopter that arrived to take away the casualties, the charges claim.
  20. ^ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. The indictment alleges that the eight accused men – Sicer Maloku, Gashi Xhafer, Demush Gacaferi, Deme Maloku, Agron Isufi, Anton Cuni, Rabit Alija and Rrustem Berisha – first prepared an ambush for Yugoslav Army border troops by laying anti-tank mines.
  21. ^ Nikolic, Ivana. "Kosovo Ex-Guerrillas Await Yugoslav Army Ambush Verdict". Balkan Insight. Archived from the original on 2022-12-27. Retrieved 2023-11-26. A Yugoslav Army tank detonated the mine, killing one soldier and wounding four others, and then the KLA fighters opened fire on an army helicopter that arrived to take away the casualties, the charges claim.
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