Battle of Belaćevac Mine

Battle of Belaćevac Mine
Part of Kosovo War
Date June 30, 1998
Location Belaćevac, near Obilić
Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army  FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Bekim Berisha Slobodan Milosevic

Nebojsa Pavkovic
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
43 Killed in Action 23 Killed in Action
8 mineworkers executed

Operations
FR Yugoslav Strike Mission  – Allied force

Camps
Lapušnik

Massacres
Panda Bar  – Suva Reka  – Velika Kruša  – Gornje Obrinje  – Cuska  – Račak

Battles
Prekaz  – Belacevac Mine  – Lodja  – Podujevo  – Junik  – Glodjane  – Košare

Incidents
Pristina Airport Standoff  –

Albania-Yugoslav border incident

The Battle of Belaćevac Mine (Serbian: Сукоб код рудника Белаћевац; Albanian: Beteja e Bardhit të Madh) was a 1998 battle fought during the Kosovo War between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav Army over the control of a coal mine which powered the nearby generating station which supplied electricity to most of the province.[1]

Contents

KLA capture

On June 22, the Kosovo Liberation Army captured the mine from Yugoslav forces, capturing nine workers: Dušan Ađančić, Pero Ađančić, Zoran Ađančić, Mirko Buha, Filip Gojković, Božidar Lempić, Srboljub Savić, Mirko Trifunović and Dragan Vukmirović.[2] While one worker, Nebojša Janković, claimed the prisoners had been executed, there was no independent verification.[3]

Among the KLA insurgents were Mensur Kasumi, who was later appointed the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs within Kosovo,[4] Arif "Mujo" Krasniqi, who was involved in the capture of Jarko Spasic on May 14.[4] and Azem Koskoviku, who commanded a group of heavily armed KLA insurgents.

The Kosovo Liberation Army then proceeded to use the mine as a staging area for its operations,[2] and taunted the Yugoslavs by sending daylight patrols within sight of the nearby villages.[1]

Serbian re-capture

On the morning of June 30, the Yugoslav Army launched an offensive into the area of Kosovo where the mines were located, and while some insurgents withdrew, those remaining in the mining buildings opened fire on the local police at around 14:00 in the afternoon.[5]

Yugoslav police forces, with the help of more than 150 military vehicles including helicopters, tanks and artillery,[1] regained control of the Belaćevac Mine, as most of the Kosovo Liberation Army militants had fled after coming under heavy tank-fire.[6]

The region was largely abandoned by civilians following the re-capture of the mines.[7]

Aftermath

In June 1999, after the Kumanovo Agreement was signed, the Yugoslavs withdrew from the mine, leading to its immediate re-capture by the KLA.[8]

Eleven years after the battle, the Association of the Families of Kidnapped and Missing Miners of Belaćevac set up a demonstration in the region demanding answers about the fate of the workers captured in the KLA's initial capture of the mine.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c The Independent New offensive dashes ceasefire hope, June 30, 1998
  2. ^ a b Human Rights Watch, "Humanitarian Law Violations in Kosovo",1998. p. 81.
  3. ^ Walker, Tom. The Times, "Guerrillas in Kosovo 'killed mine hostages', July 2, 1998
  4. ^ a b Serbianna, Kosovo's 156 Lawless
  5. ^ Hellenic Resources Network, Yugoslav Daily Survey, June 30, 1998
  6. ^ Radio Free Europe, Serbia claims success in Belacevac offensive, June 30, 1998
  7. ^ National Public Radio, All Things Considered: Kosovo, July 1, 1998
  8. ^ Hughes, Candice. Associated Press, "KLA captures Mine, Hostages near Pristina", June 13, 1998
  9. ^ Radio Srbija, A gathering in Gracanica in memory of Serbs kidnapped in Kosmet 11 years ago, June 22, 2009