Battle of Rezalla (1997)
42°46′N 20°49′E / 42.767°N 20.817°E
| Battle of Rezalla (1997) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in Kosovo (1995-1998) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Kosovo Liberation Army |
 FR Yugoslavia | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Adem Jashari |
Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
22+ Insurgents |
Unknown but greater than the KLA Unknown amount of vehicles and artillery 1 Helicopter | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
very minor |
Many killed unknown amount of artillery and vehicles damaged and destroyed | ||||||
The Battle of Rezalla (1997) (Albanian: "Beteja e Rezallës" , Serbian: "Bitka kod rezale") was a battle fought during the Insurgency in Kosovo (1995-1998) between the Kosovo Liberation Army(KLA) and FR Yugoslavia during the year of 1997, in the region of Drenica. The battle is viewed as the first "large-scale" battle of the KLA.[2]
Battle
[edit]On 25 November the Yugoslav police and army were supposed to conduct a raid on the village of Rezalla but were attacked by KLA forces led by Adem Jashari which had previously hid in the woods. After retreating the Yugoslav forces reorganized and started crossing the Skenderaj-Klina road as a helicopter scanned ahead. Adem Jashari gathered his 22 best fighters and waited in the narrow pass surrounding the road. When the Yugoslav vehicles came, the KLA insurgents fired at them killing many and damaging Yugoslav artillery and vehicles. Due to this the yugoslav forces retreated to Llausha where they shot 2 Albanian civilian teachers that worked in the primary school of the village.[3]
Aftermath
[edit]On the 28 November, after the battle ended, at the funeral of one of the teachers killed by Serbian forces, the KLA made their first public appearance giving a speech surrounded by a crowd consisting of hundreds of ethnic Albanian civilians.[4]
During January 1998 the yugoslav forces attacked the Jashari Household in Prekaz but would be defeated and would fail to kill Adem, Hamzë and Shaban Jashari, retreating to a nearby artillery factory.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ https://koha.mk/letra-e-fundit-e-adem-jasharit/
- ^ Qeriqi, Ahmet (16 September 2024). "Çlirimtari Ramush Haradinaj dhe pacifisti Albin Kurti ku ishin gjatë luftës dhe ku janë tani". radiokosovaelire.com.
- ^ Geci, Rrustem (20 September 2016). "Liria perendesha e fitoreve". radiokosovaelire.com.
- ^ Qeriqi, Ahmet (17 February 2024). "Kosova një histori e shkurter deri ne pavarësi III". radiokosovaelire.com.