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Battle of Belaćevac Mine
Part of Kosovo War
Date 30 June 1998 Location Belaćevac, near Obilić Result Yugoslav victory
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army	Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Bekim Berisha	Svetozar Marjanović
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
43 killed	23 killed
9 Serbian mineworkers executed by the UÇK 4 Albanian civilians killed, including one 8-year-old boy

The Battle of Belaćevac Mine (Template:Lang-sr; Template:Lang-al) was a 1998 battle that was fought during the Kosovo War between the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK) and the Yugoslav Army over the control of a coal mine which powered the nearby generating station which supplied electricity to most of the province of Kosovo.

KLA capture

On 22 June, the Albanian militants of the Kosovo Liberation Army seized the mine from the Yugoslavs, capturing nine mineworkers: Dušan Ađančić, Pero Ađančić, Zoran Ađančić, Mirko Buha, Filip Gojković, Božidar Lempić, Srboljub Savić, Mirko Trifunović and Dragan Vukmirović. While one worker, Nebojša Janković, claimed the prisoners had been executed, there was no independent verification.

Among the insurgents were Mensur Kasumi, who was later appointed the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs within Kosovo, Arif "Mujo" Krasniqi, who was involved in the capture of Jarko Spasić on 14 May. and Azem Koskoviku, who commanded a group of heavily armed UÇK militants.

The Kosovo Liberation Army then proceeded to use the mine as a staging area for its operations, and taunted the Yugoslavs by sending daylight patrols within sight of the nearby villages.

Yugoslav re-capture

On the morning of 30 June, the Yugoslav Army launched an offensive into the area of Kosovo where the mines were located, and while some militants withdrew, those remaining in the mining buildings opened fire on the local police at around 14:00 in the afternoon.

Yugoslav police forces, with the help of more than 150 military vehicles including helicopters, tanks and artillery, regained control of the Belaćevac Mine, as most of the Albanian militants had fled after encountering heavy tank-fire.

The region was largely abandoned by both Albanian and Serbian civilians following the re-capture of the mines.

Aftermath

In June 1999, after the Kumanovo Agreement was signed, the Yugoslavs withdrew from the mine, leading to its immediate re-capture by the Albanians.

Eleven years after the battle, the Association of the Families of Kidnapped and Missing Miners of Belaćevac set up a demonstration in the region demanding answers about the fate of the workers captured in the UÇK's initial capture of the mine.

References

1. "Serbian Forces Retake Mine Held by Rebels". New York Times. 2 July 1998. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
2. Walker, Tom. The Times, "Guerrillas in Kosovo 'killed mine hostages', July 2, 1998
3. "Fierce Fighting as Serbs Try to Push Rebels From Kosovo Town". New York Times. 1 July 1998. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
4. "New Serb offensive in Kosovo". BBC. 30 June 1999. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
5. ^ The Independent New offensive dashes ceasefire hope, June 30, 1998
6. ^ Human Rights Watch, "Humanitarian Law Violations in Kosovo",1998. p. 81.
7. Walker, Tom. The Times, "Guerrillas in Kosovo 'killed mine hostages', July 2, 1998
8. ^ Serbianna, Kosovo's 156 Lawless
9. Hellenic Resources Network, Yugoslav Daily Survey, June 30, 1998
10. Radio Free Europe, Serbia claims success in Belacevac offensive, June 30, 1998
11. National Public Radio, All Things Considered: Kosovo, July 1, 1998
12. Hughes, Candice. Associated Press, "KLA captures Mine, Hostages near Pristina", June 13, 1998
13. Radio Srbija, A gathering in Gracanica in memory of Serbs kidnapped in Kosmet 11 years ago, June 22, 2009

• Kosovo War
• Battles involving Serbia