Timeline of the Kosovo War

Timeline of the Kosovo War. Abbreviations: Combatants KLA—Kosovo Liberation Army FARK—Armed Forces of the Republic of Kosovo VJ—Yugoslav Army NATO—North Atlantic Treaty Organization Peace-keeping forces KFOR—Kosovo Force (NATO) Organizations ICTY—International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (UN) OSCE—Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe KVM—Kosovo Verification Mission IICK—Independent International Commission on Kosovo KDOM—Kosovo Diplomatic Observer Mission

Background 1981 DateEvent 11 March 1981 protests in Kosovo: Student protest starts at the University of Pristina 1 April Between 5,000 and 25,000 demonstrators of Albanian nationality call for SAP Kosovo to become a constituent republic inside Yugoslavia, as opposed to an autonomous province of Serbia. 2 April Presidency sends special forces to stop the demonstrations and declares a state of emergency in regards to Kosovo. State of emergency lasts 7 days. 3 April End of demonstrations during which 9 people are killed and more than 250 injured.

1991-1992 DateEvent26-30 September 1991Kosovo independence referendum where 99.98% of voters voted in favor of independence, with a turnout of 87.01%. 1991 (exact date unknown) Croatian President Franjo Tuđman urges Kosovar Albanians to open a new front against FR Yugoslavia and forms a Croatian Army unit composed of 400 Albanian soldiers which were supposed to be sent to Kosovo. However, after negotiations with Bujar Bukoshi fell through, the Ethnic-Albanian unit was dispatched in October and reincorporated into Croatia.30 December 1991 Siege of Prekaz. Yugoslav police besiege the Jashari compound but are forced to retreat from Prekaz.

1993-early 1998 DateEvent22 May 1993Glogovac attack. KLA victory. 4-5 Yugoslav officers killed and 2 injured. 16 February 1995 A Yugoslav policeman goes on a shooting spree, killing an Albanian. Alt URL20 June 1995A nine-year old Albanian boy is shot dead by Yugoslav soldiers after approaching barracks to retrieve his goat.21 April 1996 Kosovo Albanian student Armend Daci was shot by an ethnic Serb civilian sniper in Sunny Hill, Prishtina.25 April 1996 3 KLA members shoot in Restaurant Çakor in Deçan and kill three people.16 June 1996Yugoslav policeman Goran Mitrović was seriously injured in an attack on a police patrol near Podujevo by the KLA.25 October 1996Surkis ambush. 2 Yugoslav officers killed.31 January 1997Pestovë Ambush. Yugoslav police victory. Yugoslav Police kill Zahir Pajaziti.6 May 1997Battle of Qafë Prush. Yugoslav victory. Yugoslav forces kill Luan Haradinaj and wound several others.16 October 1997Kliçinë Attack. Yugoslav forces kill KLA head of logistics, Adrian Krasniqi.26-28 November 1997Battle of Rezalla. KLA establishes control over Drenica.January 1998Albanian separatists remove the Yugoslav police presence in Klina.22 January 1998First attack on Prekaz. KLA drives out Yugoslav forces out of the village and its vicinity.

Kosovo War 1998

28 February: 4 policemen are killed in an ambush by the KLA in the village of Likoshan. 28 February: Attacks on Likoshane and Çirez. Yugoslav victory 28 February: Likoshan killings. Yugoslav police killed 14 Albanians of the Ahmeti family. 5 March: 4 Yugoslav policemen killed in an attack on a police station by KLA in Prekaz. 5–7 March: Attack on Prekaz. Yugoslav victory. 59 Albanians killed by VJ, including 28 women and young children. 24 March: First Battle of Gllogjan. KLA victory. 26 March: Ambush near Prekaz. Yugoslav victory. Death of Ilir Lushtaku. April: Capture of Junik. KLA victory. First KLA offensive.Pettifer & Vickers 2007, p. 117 22 April: Battle of Dashinoc. KLA victory. 23 April: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory. 18 militants killed by VJ. 26 April: Attack near Gorozhup. Yugoslav victory, KLA militants flee to Albania. 27 April: Operation in Gllogjan. Yugoslav victory, 8 KLA militants killed in police operation. May: The KLA shot down a Yugoslav MIG near Prishtina and a Yugoslav military helicopter in Klina. 3-6 May: Ponoševac clashes. Inconclusive, KLA withdrawal. 7-10 May: First Battle of Lapušnik. KLA victory. Lapušnik prison camp established. 9 May: Yugoslav forces kill KLA general Ilir Konushevci and Hazir Mala in an ambush near the Albanian border. 12-14 May: Anadrinë offensive. KLA victory. Yugoslav forces retreat from the Anadrinë region. 15 May-3 July: Offensive on Kijevo. Yugoslav Victory. 15-17 May: Clashes in Iglarevo, inconclusive. 25 May: Ambush near Ljubenić. KLA victory. 3 Yugoslav policemen killed. Start of the Ljubenić massacres. June 22: Capture of Mališevo. KLA victory. June–August: KLA Summer offensive (1998). KLA strategic failure. KLA captures 40% of Kosovo but are soon overrun by Yugoslav offensive. Yugoslav forces retake most towns. 80 Yugoslav policemen are killed, over 70 KLA fighters killed. 1-3 June: Dečani operation. Victory for the MUP and the JSO, clearing of most of southwestern Kosovo from KLA units. 9 June: Yugoslav operation on Albanian border. Over 250 KLA weapons seized. Yugoslav victory 22 June–1 July: Battle of Belaćevac Mine. Yugoslav victory. 1 July: Battle of Ade and Dobro Selo. Yugoslav victory, Yugoslav forces regain control over Ade and Dobro Selo. 6 July–17 July: First Battle of Lođa. KLA victory. 7-16 July: Battle of Vërrin. KLA victory 15 July: KLA attack on the Trepça Mine. KLA victory.. 17–20 July Battle of Orahovac. Yugoslav victory. 18 July: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory. 19 July: KLA attacks on villages around Orahovac. KLA victory. 19 July: Yugoslav-Albanian Border shelling. 30 militants killed. Yugoslav Victory 24 July: Unblocking of the Peć-Priština road. Yugoslav victory and KLA withdrawal. 25—26 July: Second Battle of Llapushnik. Yugoslav victory. KLA abandonment of the Lapušnik prison camp. 23 of 35 inmates killed by KLA. 27 July: Battles of Gornja and Donja Klina. Yugoslav Victory 28 July—4 October: Yugoslav counter-offensive in Kosovo (1998). Yugoslav victory. FR Yugoslavia recaptures and established control over most of Kosovo. Ceasefire agreement on 4 October. KLA is weakened. 28 July—17 August: Battle of Junik. Yugoslav victory. 29 July: Mališevo offensive. Yugoslav victory 31 July: Clash near Lipljan. Yugoslav victory, KLA suffers 8 killed and several captured. 1 August: Offensive on Josanica. Yugoslav victory, Yugoslav forces drive out KLA from their positions in Josanica, Srbica-Klina road opened. 2–4 August: August Yugoslav offensive in Drenica. Yugoslav victory, thousands of Kosovo Albanian civilians were driven into the hills. 3 August: Offensive in Klina. Yugoslav victory, 9 villages reclaimed under Yugoslav control 1-30 August: Drenica attacks. KLA victory. 17 Yugoslav soldiers killed by KLA attacks in the Drenica Valley. 10 August–17 August: Second Battle of Lođa. Yugoslav victory. 9-12 August: Clashes in Rznic and Babaloć. Yugoslav Victory. 11–12 August: Second Battle of Glodjane Yugoslav victory. 15 August: Operation Eagle (Kosovo War). KLA victory. 6 Yugoslav troops killed in an ambush. 22-25 August: Battle of Kleçka. Yugoslav victory. Yugoslav forces capture Kleçka and Luzhnica. 5-6 KLA militants killed. KLA general Ismet Jashari is killed. 26 August: Battle of Gunovc and Komorec. KLA victory, 8 Yugoslav soldiers killed by the KLA. September: Yugoslav September Offensive. Yugoslav victory. 1 September: Incident in Lez. 16 Militants killed. Serbian police victory. 1–5 September: Yugoslav offensive in Prizren. Yugoslav victory. 2-4 September: Attacks on Astrozub. KLA forced to surrender after the village is encircled. It is later retaken by KLA. 9 September: Lake Radonjić massacre. September: Lake Radonjić Operation. MUP and JSO victory. Yugoslav troops capture Lake Radonjić. 11 September: Attack on Rezalla. KLA victory. Heavy Yugoslav shelling leads to the death of several Albanian civilians. 13 September: Capture of Likovac. Yugoslav victory 19 September: Seven Serbian policemen were killed in Drenica in a KLA attack against a police station. Start of the Central Drenica offensive. 22-26 September: Central Drenica offensive. Yugoslav victory despite heavy casualties. 6 villages captured by Yugoslav forces. Start of the Gornje Obrinje massacre. 25 September: Attack on the Likovac-Gornje Obrinje Road. KLA victory. 5 Yugoslav police officers killed. 30 September: Operation Fenix. KLA victory. 26-29 September: Gornje Obrinje massacre. 8 October: KLA general Abedin Rexha is assassinated near Skenderaj by Gani Geci. 15 October: Holbrooke-Milošević Agreement. Ceasefire in Kosovo starts after an agreement between Richard Holbrooke and Slobodan Milošević for a temporary Yugoslav withdrawal. Yugoslav withdrawal commenced on 25 October. KLA reestablishes control over Albanian majority villages with no Yugoslav presence. Ceasefire broken in early December after an ambush on the Albanian-Yugoslav border. 11 November: KLA returns to Malisheva. 3 December: Albanian–Yugoslav border clash. Yugoslav victory. 14 December: Albanian–Yugoslav border clashes. Yugoslav victory. 14 December: Panda Bar massacre. 19 December: Zvonko Bojanić, the Serb mayor of the town of Kosovo Polje is assassinated by the KLA. 23–27 December: Battle of Podujevo. Yugoslav victory.

1999

8 January: Ambush near Suva Reka. In an ambush by the KLA near Dulje, 4 police officers were killed and 1 wounded. 8 January: Ambush near Kosovska Mitrovica. The KLA ambushed a column of VJ vehicles near Kosovska Mitrovica, killing three soldiers and wounding many more. Eight VJ soldiers were captured. 15 January: Račak Massacre 20 January: Skirmishes near Kosovska Mitrovica. Yugoslav victory. 27 January: Yugoslav forces return a strong presence in Glogovac, Lapušnik, and Kijevo, they also remained heavily deployed in Račak. 27–29 January: Start of the Rogovo massacre. 25-27 February: Vučitrn offensive. Yugoslav victory. Yugoslav army overran KLA positions, KLA forced to withdraw. 1 March: Clashes in Orahovac. Yugoslav victory. Civilians flee the area. 11 March: Battle of Ješkovo, Yugoslav victory. 15-16 March: Fighting in Podujevo; burning reported in the villages of Oshlane and Pantin. 17 March: Yugoslav operation in Kabash. Yugoslav victory. Yugoslav forces capture Kabash and KLA stronghold. 19 March: Attacks on the Police stations in Drenas, Skenderaj and Lluzhan. KLA victory. Start of a Yugoslav offensive in the regions of Drenica and Llap.Krieger, Heike (2001). The Kosovo Conflict and International Law: An Analytical Documentation 1974-1999. Cambridge University Press. p. 89. 20-23 March: Offensive in Llap. Yugoslav victory. Prishtina-Podujevo road re-opened. 9 KLA militants killed. 20-21 March: Yugoslav offensive on Skenderaj. Inconclusive. 10 civilians executed. 20-31 March: Yugoslav spring offensive in Kosovo. Yugoslav victory. Capture of dozen of villages and territories in Srbica and Glogovac municipalities, establishment of Yugoslav control over the area and crimes against Albanian population. Yugoslav forces temporary withdrew allowing KLA to retain its presence in area. 23 March: Battle of Pasoma. Yugoslav victory. 24 March-11 June: NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, codenamed Operation Allied Force. 24 March-11 June: Operation Echo. 24 March-9 June: Bombing of Novi Sad. March–June: Drenica massacres. 24 March-15 May: Second Battle of Rezalla. KLA victory despite the Death of Malush Ahmeti. Yugoslav forces fail to penetrate or capture Rezalla. 24 March: Prapashticë ambush. Yugoslav victory. Yugoslav forces kill Ismet Asllani. 25 March: Aircraft chase from Batajnica. NATO victory. 2 Yugoslav MiG-29's chase a NATO aircraft from Batajnica but are then attacked by 2 NATO F-15. Both MiG-29's are shotdown 25 March: Bela Crkva massacre. 26 March: Suva Reka massacre. 25-28 March: Velika Kruša massacre 27 March: F-117A shootdown by Yugoslav air force. 28 March: Izbica massacre.