Battle of Ješkovo

Following World War II, Kosovo was given the status of an autonomous province within the Socialist Republic of Serbia, one of six constitutional republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.^[9] After the death of Yugoslavia's long-time leader (Josip Broz Tito) in 1980, Yugoslavia's political system began to unravel.^[10] In 1989, Belgrade revoked Kosovo's autonomy.^[11] Kosovo, a province inhabited predominantly by ethnic Albanians, was of great historical and cultural significance to Serbs,^[12] who had formed a majority there before the mid-19th century, but by 1990 represented only about 10 percent of the population.^[13] Alarmed by their dwindling numbers, the province's Serbs began to fear that they were being "squeezed out" by the Albanians, and ethnic tensions worsened.^[14] As soon as Kosovo's autonomy was abolished, a minority government run by Serbs and Montenegrins was appointed by Serbian President Slobodan Milošević to oversee the province, enforced by thousands of heavily armed paramilitaries from Serbia-proper. Albanian culture was systematically repressed and hundreds of thousands of Albanians working in state-owned companies lost their jobs.^[11]

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, was just a rump federation consisting 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).^[15] It quickly gained popularity among young Kosovo Albanians, many of whom rejected the non-violent resistance to Yugoslav authorities advocated by the politician Ibrahim Rugova and favoured a more aggressive approach.^[16] 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.^[17] The KLA also received substantial funds from its involvement in the drug trade.^[18][19]

The KLA'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 family. The attack prompted thousands of young Kosovo Albanians to join the ranks of the KLA, fueling the Kosovar uprising that eventually erupted in the spring of 1998.^[20]

Ješkovo is a village in southern Kosovo, situated to the south of Prizren and north of Dragash. According to the 1981 census, over 90% of the residents of Ješkovo were ethnic Albanians.^[21] The KLA favored fighting in villages where they enjoyed strong support of locals.^[22] In 1998, Ješkovo had only one road leading to it, and was surrounded by mountains on all sides.^[23] This environment was suitable for the Kosovo Liberation Army, which would make it more accessible to conduct guerrilla warfare and to defend the village itself.^[24] On 1 September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) began an offensive on the region,^[25] which led to the capture of the KLA stronghold by 5 September.^[26][27] On 23 September, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1199 was adopted, calling for a ceasefire and the cessation of hostilities.^[28] On 16 October, an agreement was signed in Belgrade between the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe providing for the establishment of the Kosovo Verification Mission, with aerial verification over Kosovo agreed the previous day.^[29][30] On 25 October, the OSCE established the Kosovo Verification Mission.^[31] Five days later, on 30 October, Operation Eagle Eye was launched, with 1,400 ground observers and 80 aircraft monitoring the situation in Kosovo.^[32] In early December, the ceasefire collapsed after a border ambush, and hostilities resumed.^[33] On 6 February 1999, the Rambouillet conference began, and on 23 February, the Rambouillet agreement was drafted.^[34] After the offensive in September 1998, the 125th Brigade of the Kosovo Liberation Army retreated to Retimlje, where they formed a special unit.^[35] The unit, numbering 29 members, was tasked with setting up a base in Ješkovo, training militants, and renewing KLA activity in the region.^[36][37] By then, the village was largely destroyed, and only four families remained.^[38] On 3 March, they left for Ješkovo. On 4 March, they arrived and established a base, where they trained 11 civilian volunteers.^[39][38] Upon their arrival, they ordered the four families residing in the village to the evacuate.^[40] In total, the unit numbered 40 members,^[41] and were armed with machine guns and mortars.^[42][43] Another 30-man group from Retimlje began preparations to advance to Ješkovo.^[38]

On 11 March, 1999, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Yugoslav Army launched an operation to retake Ješkovo. The Yugoslav security forces were deployed in the surrounding villages, with Hoča Zagradska serving as the main operational centre. After several hours of climbing, the security forces had taken up positions on the hills surrounding the village. They maneuvered through Biluša along the Hočica river, and from the east through Ljubičevo. The Yugoslav security forces intended to form a cordon around the village.^[42] During the climb, the security forces encountered deserted trenches and boot prints, indicating that it was only a matter of time before they encountered the KLA.^[44] The Yugoslav forces were at an altitude of 1,176 meters, while the village of Ješkovo and the KLA headquarters were located 600 meters below. At that time, the equipment of the Yugoslav Army entered Hoča Zagradska.^[41][42] Approximately 8 tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, and mortars were utilized by the Yugoslav forces.^[45] By 08:00, the cordon was closed; the KLA were surrounded by the security forces.^[43][46]

Approximately one kilometre away from the outskirts of the village, a group of militants fired towards the direction of an advancing Yugoslav squad. The Yugoslav squad managed to spot the militants as they were retreating, about 400 metres away.^[47] Another clash occurred along a stream, in which the KLA ambushed an advancing Yugoslav squad. At a distance of 30 metres, two militants fired at the squad.^[48] The security forces fired back in the direction of the militants, who were not spotted as they maneuvered into the stream. When the militants were spotted, they were fired upon. Both militants were killed, one of them bearing a machine gun.^[49] Lieutenant Colonel Konjikovac, along with ten members of the military police, approached 300 meters from the position of the militants, who had not yet noticed the presence of the security forces. Other soldiers and policemen descended from the hill 200 meters from the village.^[43] At 12:30, 120 and 82mm mortars near Hoča Zagradska began to fire at Ješkovo.^[43] The security forces began to close in and attack the village. Members of the KLA split up into multiple groups, each numbering 5 to 6 men, in an attempt to contest the cordon.^[46] The fighting was at a distance of 10 to 15 metres,^[46] which included house-to-house combat. A militant from one of the houses threw a grenade that wounded three policemen.^[41][42]

Some of the KLA militants tried to escape through a knee-deep mountain stream, using the extraction system they had practiced beforehand. However, at the place where the stream made a bend, they were ambushed by Yugoslav machine gunners.^[43] Several militants attempted to break out of the ambush by turning and running uphill. Although they were well prepared, they were shot by the advancing policemen.^[42][43] According to a Yugoslav claim, one militant hid among the dead, pretending to have been shot.^[43] When the policemen began to turn over the corpses, he drew his rifle, but a policeman was more vigilant and shot him first.^[42] A KLA member who was on further security saw an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) vehicle in Hoča Zagradska and went towards it with the intention of getting out of the village with the verifiers. However, a police patrol arrested him.^[43] In the evening, a column of Yugoslav armored vehicles arrived at the village, reestablishing control over the surrounding area.^[38]