Battle of Košare or Hell of Košare (Serbian: Boj na Košarama or Pakao Košara; Albanian: Beteja e Koshares) was a battle fought during the Kosovo war between the Yugoslav Army on one side and the Kosovo Liberation Army supported by the Military of Albania and NATO on other.

Background

Kosovo Albanians started an armed rebellion against Serbia in 1996 to gain independence for Kosovo. Before and during the rebellion the KLA trained and armed themselves in northern Albania from where they went over Prokletije to Kosovo. Rugged and inhospitable terrain on the Serbian-Albanian border was on their side. Border units of the Yugoslav Army tried to prevent them and often there were bloody battles with casualties on both sides. The KLA's guerilla war against Serbia (1996-1999) was a military failure, but a political success.

On March 24, 1999, NATO started the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia with the goal to expel the VJ from Kosovo. NATO airplanes were perpetually striking VJ positions on the Serbian-Albanian border. Almost 12,000 NATO soldiers (5,000 Americans) arrived in Albania, with more than 30 tanks and with 26 AH-64 Apaches. Huge numbers of Albanian refugees went from Kosovo to Albania. Majority of KLA soldiers also left Kosovo with their families. In Albania, KLA reorganized and rearmed themselves and started preparations for a return to Kosovo. Isolated armed incidents on the Serbian-Albanian border occurred almost continually in the first two weeks of war but on April 9, 1999, the KLA launched an open attack in an area around a Košare border blockhouse. The Košare area was a unique point on the border where the terrain was favorable for the attackers. Positions of the defenders were on a lower altitude then the attacker's, and because of this the defenders were highly exposed to artillery bombardment. Also, the terrain was impassable for tanks and armoured vehicles, equipment which was the VJ's main advantage over the KLA.

Albanian plans

The KLA planned a sudden breakthrough to Kosovo and after achieving this, an interjection of huge numbers of KLA and NATO troops through the Košare area to Metohija. They planned to capture Đakovica and to separate Serbian forces from each other. Finally, they planned to capture Metohija entirely.

Attack

On the Orthodox Great Friday, April 09, 1999 at 3h A.M. KLA and Military of Albania artillery started bombardment of VJ positions on blockhouses Morina and Košare. Albanians used mortars, field guns, howitzers and self-propelled artillery. Artillery fire was coordinated from Maja Uljeze peak (1822m) by experienced officers of the French Foreign Legion. During the artillery bombardment, around 1,500 KLA soldiers approached the border in the Košare area undetected. A first attempt of breakthrough started at 6h AM in 3 directions: Blockhouse Košare building, Rasa Koshares peak (1385m) and Maja Glava peak. The sudden Albanian attack surprised the outnumbered Serbian forces. In the moment of the attack there were no more than 200 VJ soldiers on the first line, including one mortar company. A bloody battle lasted all day, with heavy casualties, especially for the attackers. In the evening the KLA captured Rasa Koshares peak and instantly fortified themselves. Also, Albanians relocated some of their artillery pieces to Rasa Koshares.

Fighting continued during the night and in the morning of the next day. Supported with artillery fire, the KLA captured Maja Glava peak. Albanian artillery continued to shell blockhouse Košare. VJ soldiers in the blockhouse, who were exposed to heavy artillery bombardment, left the building in the afternoon. KLA soldiers entered the abandoned blockhouse at 7h PM. TVSH, CNN, BBC and other networks instantly broadcasted a record of KLA soldiers entering the blockhouse.

VJ soldiers retreated to reserve positions (the second line of defence) over the blockhouse. These positions were more appropriate for defending. During the day, first Serbian reinforcements arrived at the frontline. A KLA guerrilla group operated behind VJ positions, with a task to attack Serbian reinforcements and to meet KLA soldiers after the breakthrough. During the day they managed to destroy one Serbian BOV.

During the night the KLA attacked VJ's second line on the Opljaz peak. Before the attack VJ positions were exposed to heavy bombardment from Albanian artillery at Rasa Koshares. Albanians launched the attack in 3 waves but after sustaining heavy casualties they were compelled to stop the attacks.

In the next few days the KLA were insistently trying to break through the Serbian second line but all attacks were unsuccessful. VJ reinforced its positions with special units and fighters with war experience from Croatia and Bosnia. Also, the Serbs had brought some artillery pieces to the direct vicinity of the frontline.

Reorganization of Serbian positions and counterattack

Albanian artillery continued to shell the Serbian defensive lines from peaks Maja Glava and Rasa Koshares. VJ command decided that a sudden attack on those two strategic points is necessary. On April 14, VJ soldiers started an attack on Maja Glava peak. Supported with heavy artillery fire, Serbian soldiers managed to reach Maja Glava peak after a bloody battle. Both sides fortified themselves in the trenches at Maja Glava. The distance between Serbian and Albanian trenches was no more than 50 meters. The VJ hadn't took Maja Glava but managed to prevent Albanian artillery fire from this strategic point. At Maja Glava, heavy combat lasted until the end of the war and neither side managed to make a breakthrough.

During the month of April at Rasa Koshares there was relentless fighting with no major changes. Both sides sustained heavy losses, Serbs from artillery shelling and Albanians in attempts of breakthrough.

May at Košare

Month of May, started with a failed Serbian effort to retake blockhouse Košare. Serbs were stopped with heavy mortar fire.

On May 6 (Đurđevdan (English:St.George's day)), the VJ launched a sudden attack on Albanian positions at Rasa Koshares peak with an intention to prevent Albanian artillery fire from this point. A bloody battle commenced but the Albanians managed to keep Rasa Koshares. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. On May 10, VJ command sent two T-55 tanks to help the Serbian offensive on Rasa Koshares. The tanks somehow managed to enter the battle after they overcame the terrain which is actually impassable for armoured vehicles. VJ units succeed only to capture less than 100 meters of territory, but the Albanians saved their heavily fortified Rasa Koshares point. In the night between May 10 and May 11, NATO airplanes dropped prohibited cluster bombs on VJ soldiers who were on attacking positions below Rasa Koshares. Thereupon this NATO action, 8 VJ soldiers and 1 officer were killed and more than 40 were wounded. The KLA took advantage of the commotion in the Serbian lines and with combined action of artillery and infantry attack rebuffed Serbs to their starting positions and this actually ended the Serbian attack on Rasa Koshares.

At mid-May heavy fighting occurred at Mrcaj peak (2250m), when Serbs attacked the Albanian watchtower. KLA soldiers retreated from Mrcaj after suffering a great number of losses and the VJ took the very important strategic point for coordination of artillery fire.

The bloody Battle of Košare lasted until the end of the war (June 10, 1999) without major changes.

Casualties

Hell of Košare took many lives of VJ and KLA soldiers. Serbian official information is that 60-70 VJ soldiers were killed in combat in the area around blockhouse Košare. Official Albanian information is that over 150 KLA soldiers were killed, but there is doubt that this number should be much higher. 80 percent of KLA casualties were soldiers from Kosovo even though the number of those from Albania and Macedonia is not negligible. Official reports are that 3 foreigners were killed at Košare, two NATO soldiers: French Paillard Arnaud Pierre (1971) and Italian Francesco Giuseppe Bider (1961) as well as Murad Muhamed Ali (1969) from Algeria.

Later

The Kosovo War lasted until June 10, 1999 when a peace agreement was reached. VJ and MUP Srbije forces withdrew from Kosovo, among them there were also soldiers who participated in the Battle of Košare. NATO entered the province as peacekeepers of (KFOR). KLA agreed to be transformed and disarmed. NATO sought to bring it into the peace process with a promise to establish a 3,000-strong Kosovo Protection Corps drawn from KLA ranks and charged with disaster response, search and rescue, assistance with de-mining, providing humanitarian assistance, and helping to rebuild infrastructure and communities.

References

• Milovan Drecun. Pakao Košara.