KLA spring offensives (1998)

Kosovo spring uprising
Part of Kosovo War
Aerial image showing Gjakova, Lake Radoniq and the surrounding villages including Glodjane, where one of the first events of the Uprising took place
Date March-May 1998 Location Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia Result Inconclusive KLA captures several places and regions Start of the KLA Summer offensive Territorial changes KLA captures the Anadrinë region, most of the Llapusha region, the Marec highlands, Llapushnik, Baballoq, Drenoc, Glodjane, Dashinoc, Brovina, Smolica and other places[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Mount Gjeravica and Kijevo remain under Yugoslav control
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army	FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Ismet Jashari Fatmir Limaj Isak Musliu Ymer Alushani Kadri Veseli Fehmi Lladrovci Halit Asllani † Ilir Konushevci † Ramush Haradinaj (WIA) Bedri Shala	Nebojša Pavković Dragoljub Ojdanić Sreten Lukić Božidar Delić Goran Radosavljević Milorad Ulemek
Strength
Thousands[10]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
60+ casualties	Heavy

The KLA spring offensives, also known as the Kosovar spring uprising of 1998^[10] were series of KLA uprisings and offensives in Kosovo. The Uprising was triggered by the Attack on Prekaz, which resulted in the Deaths of Adem and Hamëz Jashari and almost their entire family, which led to thousands of young Kosovo Albanians had begun to join the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), causing an uprising by the KLA that eventually erupted in the spring of 1998.^[10]

In 1996, a group of Albanian nationalists calling themselves the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) began attacking the Yugoslav Army (Serbo-Croatian: Vojska Jugoslavije; VJ) and the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs (Serbo-Croatian: 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.^[11] The group quickly gained popularity among young Kosovo Albanians, many of whom favoured a more aggressive approach and rejected the non-violent resistance of politician Ibrahim Rugova.^[12]

The organization received a significant boost in 1997, when an armed uprising in neighbouring 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.^[13] The KLA also received substantial funds from its involvement in the drug trade.^[14][15] 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.

After Ismet Jashari was assigned by the General Staff of the KLA as commander in the Llapusha region in late March, the KLA presence grew more in Llapusha and captured most of the region.^[1]

From March 1998 to April 1998, the KLA mounted a campaign to capture the villages near Deçani and the surrounding area with the intent of driving out local Serbs and the Yugoslav forces.^[4]

On March 24, 1998, hundreds of Yugoslav forces surrounded and besieged Glođane. The attack began several hours later, while police forces had been monitoring the movements of the Haradinaj family. The Yugoslav forces first attacked the House of the Haradinaj family and managed to advance to the courtyard, but had to retreat due to military resistance from the KLA. KLA forces began to take up posistions in the village and counter-attacked the Yugoslav forces which resulted in a Yugoslav withdrawal from the village.^[2] During the battle, 2 KLA fighters and 1 Serbian officer were killed, while 3 Serbian officers and Ramush Haradinaj were wounded.^[16]

From 16th April until August 1998, fighting between KLA and Yugoslav government forces had taken place in the village of Baballoq. The KLA, with the help of civilian volunteers would capture the place in April and repel all the Yugoslav attacks on the village that lasted up until August.^[3]

On 22 April, the KLA had clashed with the Yugoslav Army and Serb police in the village Dashinoc, which would later fall into the hands of the KLA.^[4]

In March 1998, the KLA had led an operation to capture the Marec highlands. Two operational areas were involved in the fighting: the Llap Operational Area with Brigade 153 and the Karadak Operational Area with Brigades 171, 172 and 173. The area came under KLA control after the operation.^[5]

On 6 April, Yugoslav forces began to attack the KLA in the village of Smolica. The clashes lasted up until 2nd August, when they would be pushed from the village by the KLA.^[6]

On 23 April 1998, in Mount Gjeravica, a group of about 150-200 KLA militants attempted to illegally enter Kosovo via Northern Albania in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Kosovo. The Yugoslav forces had responded and forced the militants to retreat back to Albania. There were no Yugoslav casualties in the clash.^[17] While 19 KLA militants were killed, one was wounded and 2 were captured.^[18][17]

On 7th May 1998, the KLA under Ismet Jashari and Fatmir Limaj had fought against the Yugoslav forces in the village of Llapushnik. By 10th May, the village was in the hands of the 121st brigade of the KLA and the Lapušnik prison camp was built.^[7]

On 9th May, KLA general Ilir Konushevci and KLA doctor Hazir Mala were killed in an ambush near the Albanian border by Yugoslav forces.^[19]

Drenoc, a village northwest of Rahovec was captured by the KLA after fighting in 26th of April, from 11th to 12th May, the Yugoslav troops attempted to recapture Drenoc but failed to do so. After Serbian police fired upon a KLA vehicle, heavy fighting broke out in the Anadrinë region. The same day large amounts of Yugoslav troops, tanks and pinzgauers attacked KLA positions in Gradish hill. According to the KLA, the Yugoslav forces also utilized several helicopters in the attack. The KLA held their positions on the hill as fighting broke-out in the nearby villages on 13 May. The KLA were able to surround the Yugoslav forces in Malësia e Vogël and were also able to capture the village and police station of Ratkoc, leading to the Yugoslav forces reinforcing their positions. With the "newly-arrived" reinforcements the Yugoslav troops would attack the KLA positions on Gradish Hill from behind, leading to the KLA calling reinforcements from the "Lumi" unit from Malisheva and the "Pëllumbi" unit from Klina; both from the 3rd Operational Zone. With help from the reinforcements the KLA were able to brake the encirclement with the Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Anadrinë. During the withdrawal the Yugoslav troops killed 3 male Albanian civilians who refused to leave the village of Bratani. 3 KLA militants in the offensive were killed and another 3 would be injured, however the Yugoslav casualties would be greater, including damages on tanks and armored vehicles.^{[20][21][22][8]}

Around mid May, the KLA had attacked and encircled the village of Kijevo. Two months later in Response, the Yugoslav forces and JSO led by Milorad Ulemek conducted a military operation during the Kosovo War in Kijevë.^[23] The goal was to secure a connection to the highway and to break the siege in Kijevë, which was encircled by the KLA since May. Various clashes occurred, and Yugoslav Troops succeeded in driving Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) out of Kijevë and the surrounding areas by early July.^[24][25][26]

On 25th May near the village of Ljubenić/Lybeniq, the KLA conducted an attack on a Serbian vehicle, which resulted in the death of 3 Serbian officers, the Yugoslav forces retaliated by attacking the Civilian population.^[27]

On 28th May 1998, a large Serbian convoy had swept through villages North of Gjakova and in Deçan. Upon seeing this, a KLA fighter named Halit Asllani had fired on the convoy in Brovina and defended the village ensuring no civilian casualties and holding Serbs back for a day until he died from his wounds.^[9]

After the uprising, the KLA switched their tactics from hit and run operations to conventional warfare leading to a summer-long offensive in which the KLA captured an estimated 40% of Kosovo.^[28][29] KLA forces began expanding their territory and built "Operational Zones".^[30][29][28]