From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Battle of Belaćevac Mine
Battle of Belaćevac Mine
Battle of Belaćevac Mine The Kosovo Liberation Army then proceeded to use
the mine as a staging area for its operations,[2] and taunt-
Part of Kosovo War ed the Yugoslavs by sending daylight patrols within sight
of the nearby villages.[1]
Date June 30, 1998
Location Belaćevac, near Obilić
Serbian re-capture
Result Indecisive[citation needed]
On the morning of June 30, the Yugoslav Army launched
Belligerents an offensive into the area of Kosovo where the mines
were located, and while some insurgents withdrew, those
FR Yugoslavia remaining in the mining buildings opened fire on the lo-
Kosovo Liberation
Army cal police at around 14:00 in the afternoon.[5]
Yugoslav police forces, with the help of more than
Commanders and leaders
150 military vehicles including helicopters, tanks and ar-
Slobodan Milosevic tillery,[1] regained control of the Belaćevac Mine, as most
Bekim Berisha Nebojsa Pavkovic of the Kosovo Liberation Army militants had fled after
coming under heavy tank-fire.[6]
Strength
The region was largely abandoned by civilians follow-
Unknown Unknown ing the re-capture of the mines.[7]
Casualties and losses
23 Killed in
Aftermath
43 Killed in Action[citation needed] In June 1999, after the Kumanovo Agreement was signed,
Action[citation needed]
the Yugoslavs withdrew from the mine, leading to its im-
8 mineworkers executed mediate re-capture by the KLA.[8]
Eleven years after the battle, the Association of the
The Battle of Belaćevac Mine (Serbian: Сукоб код Families of Kidnapped and Missing Miners of Belaćevac set up
рудника Белаћевац; Albanian: Beteja e Bardhit të Madh) a demonstration in the region demanding answers about
was a 1998 battle fought during the Kosovo War between the fate of the workers captured in the KLA’s initial cap-
the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav ture of the mine.[9]
Army over the control of a coal mine which powered the
nearby generating station which supplied electricity to
most of the province.[1]
References
[1] ^ The Independent New offensive dashes ceasefire
KLA capture [2]
hope, June 30, 1998
^ Human Rights Watch, "Humanitarian Law
On June 22, the Kosovo Liberation Army captured the Violations in Kosovo",1998. p. 81.
mine from Yugoslav forces, capturing nine workers: [3] Walker, Tom. The Times, "Guerrillas in Kosovo
Dušan Ađančić, Pero Ađančić, Zoran Ađančić, Mirko ’killed mine hostages’, July 2, 1998
Buha, Filip Gojković, Božidar Lempić, Srboljub Savić, [4] ^ Serbianna, Kosovo’s 156 Lawless
Mirko Trifunović and Dragan Vukmirović.[2] While one [5] Hellenic Resources Network, Yugoslav Daily
worker, Nebojša Janković, claimed the prisoners had Survey, June 30, 1998
been executed, there was no independent verification. [3] [6] Radio Free Europe, Serbia claims success in
Among the KLA insurgents were Mensur Kasumi, who Belacevac offensive, June 30, 1998
was later appointed the Deputy Minister of Internal Af- [7] National Public Radio, All Things Considered:
fairs within Kosovo,[4] Arif "Mujo" Krasniqi, who was in- Kosovo, July 1, 1998
volved in the capture of Jarko Spasic on May 14.[4] and [8] Hughes, Candice. Associated Press, "KLA captures
Azem Koskoviku, who commanded a group of heavily Mine, Hostages near Pristina", June 13, 1998
armed KLA insurgents.
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Battle of Belaćevac Mine
[9] Radio Srbija, A gathering in Gracanica in memory
of Serbs kidnapped in Kosmet 11 years ago, June 22,
2009
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Categories:
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• Battles involving Serbia
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