Ramush Haradinaj - Kosovo War

Kosovo War

After Haradinaj's return to Kosovo in February 1998, the conflict in Kosovo erupted. According to the ICTY indictment against Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu, between 28 February and 5 March, Serbian and Yugoslav forces launched an offensive against UÇK-held villages of Likošane, Cirez, and Prekaze.

Serbian special forces attacked three adjacent villages in Drenice. without warning killing close to 100 civilians in the three villages.

83 Kosovo Albanians were killed-- most of whom were civilians including elderly villagers and 24 women and children and at least one pregnant mother. Many of the victims were shot at close range which suggested summary executions; subsequent reports from eye-witnesses confirmed this.

The attacks on these three villages marked a turning point in the war, KLA membership increased as many Albanians began to fear that their village would be targeted next. The next village targeted was Ramush Haradinaj's home village of Gllogjan.

Less than three weeks after the attacks in Drenica,Serbian police and Yugoslav forces surrounded the village of Glodjane and commenced a similar operation targeting the Haradinaj compound.< The Haradinaj family, however, was aware of the previous attacks in Drenice and defended the village. They utilized their superior knowledge of the terrain and local defenses to good effect and under the leadership of Haradinaj, they successfully repelled the attack. This job was made more difficult because Serbian police forces captured a group of civilians and used them as human shields - marching the group in front of Serb soldiers as the forces took cover behind them and attempted to kill the Haradinajs.

During the firefight Ramush Haradinaj was seriously wounded during this assault after being shot in the hip by a Serbian policeman. He survived by packing his wound with cheese he found in the room where he took cover. During the fire fight three young Kosovar Albanian boys under the age of 18 were killed by Serbian forces which further galvanized the Albanian population to support the KLA. It is not known how many Serbian policemen or Yugoslav army forces were killed.

After successfully repelling the Serbian attack Haradinaj gained a leadership position in the UÇK in Western Kosovo. By May 1998 he was regarded as commander of Glodjane and surrounding villages, and by June 1998 he became commander of the Dukagjin Operational Zone (in Metohija). Western Kosovo's proximity to Albania provided a corridor through which the UÇK could procure weapons. Haradinaj established himself as a commander during heavy fighting in his area. As war broke out in Western Kosovo during the Spring of 1998 Serbian and Albanian families fled the area for fear of getting caught up in the intense hostilities breaking out.

In September 1998, some months later, the bodies of 39 people were found near Glodjane. The victims were local people,of both Albanian and Serbian ethnicities. The discovery of their bodies led to public accusations of war crimes against Haradinaj and his group.