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Not to be confused with Demilitarized zone, International zone, or Buffer zone.
Ground Safety Zone
Part of the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley

Map of the Ground Safety Zone. Note that this is not the entirety of the GSZ, but the area in which the UÇPMB controlled up to the yellow line.
Date14 March 2001 – 1 June 2001
Location
Ground Safety Zone
Result

Končulj Agreement

  • Yugoslavia retakes the GSZ
  • UÇPMB disbanded
  • Low intensity skirmishes continue
Territorial
changes		 FR Yugoslavia regains control of demilitarized Ground Safety Zone, including around 580 square kilometres (220 sq mi) previously held by the UÇPMB
Belligerents
UÇPMB  FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Muhamet Xhemajli Surrendered
Ridvan Qazimi †
Shaqir Shaqiri
Mustafa Shaqiri Surrendered		 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Ninoslav Krstić
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Goran Radosavljević
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Nebojša Čović
Strength
1,600 militants[1] Serbia and Montenegro 3,500–5,000 personnel[2]
Logo of the JSO 100 JSO members
Casualties and losses
27 killed
150 surrendered to Serbian Police
400 surrendered to KFOR[3]		 Serbia and Montenegro 24 policemen and soldiers killed
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 77 wounded
     Serbia      UÇPMB      Kosovo (KFOR and UNMIK)

The Ground Safety Zone (Serbian: Копнена зона безбедности, Kopnena zona bezbednosti; Albanian: Zona e Sigurisë Tokësore) was a 5-kilometre-wide (3.1 mi) demilitarized zone (DMZ) established in June 1999 after the signing of the Kumanovo agreement which ended the Kosovo War.[4] It bordered the area between inner Republic of Serbia in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Kosovo (governed by the UN).[5][6]

Background

[edit]
See also: Insurgency in Kosovo (1995–1998) and Kosovo War

In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)[7] which started attacking police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.[8] According to Serbian officials, the KLA killed 10 policemen and 24 civilians.[9] After escalating tensions between increasing Yugoslav security forces and the KLA, the Kosovo War started in February 1998.[10][11][12]

Creation of the GSZ

[edit]

With the signing of the Kumanovo agreement, the provisions designed the creation of a 5-kilometre-wide safety zone around Kosovo's border and into the FRY if necessary.[13][14][15] A 25-kilometre-wide air safety zone was also designed by the provisions of the agreement.[14] Only lightly armed police in groups of up to ten were allowed to patrol,[16] and banned the FRY from using planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons. The GSZ consisted of 5 sectors:

Insurgency in the Preševo Valley

[edit]
Main article: Insurgency in the Preševo Valley

In June 1999, a new Albanian militant insurgent group was formed by Shefket Musliu,[18] called the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), began training in the GSZ, which was witnessed by the Kosovo Force (KFOR).[19][20] The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac into Kosovo, which escalated into an insurgency.[21]

Due to the FRY's inability to use any heavy weapons against the UÇPMB, the group expanded and occupied all villages related to Sectors B and C east, with the exception of Gramada. They divided the sectors into three zones:

The North zone was commanded by Muhamet Xhemajli, the Center zone was commanded by Ridvan Qazimi, and the South zone was commanded by commanded by Shaqir Shaqiri. After his arrest in 2001, he was replaced with Mustafa Shaqiri. The UÇPMB only attacked Serbs from a distance with mortars, so the Serbs couldn't respond. After the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, Vojislav Koštunica wanted the United States to reduce or disband the GSZ,[22] with KFOR mediating a ceasefire on 24 November.[23]

Many battles occurred along the GSZ, such as on 4 March 2000, around 500 UÇPMB fighters attacked the city of Dobrosin. The battle resulted in one UÇPMB and one Serb fighter killed,[24] while another 175 were displaced.[25] On 21 November, members of the UÇPMB attacked the city of Dobrosin and the surrounding villages. Heavy fighting resulted in the VJ retreating to Končulj, Lučane, and Bujanovac.[26][27] After four policemen were killed and two wounded by the UÇPMB, the VJ retreated back to the GSZ.[28]

On 6 January 2001, the UÇPMB took control of Gornja Šušaja,[29] and were well received by the locals. On 19 January, in command of Bardhyl Osmani, raided VJ positions near Crnotince.[30] On 20 January, the VJ launched an attack against the UÇPMB stronghold. The battle lasted for four days when VJ forces were forced to withdraw to the GSZ.[29][30] These fierce battles, witnessed by NATO, were the starting point for the VJ to enter the GSZ, called Operation Return.

Operation Return

[edit]
See also: Insurgency in the Preševo Valley § Operation Return

On 14 March 2001, at 6:30 am, after the fiercest fighting in the area since the Kosovo War,[31] NATO allowed Yugoslav forces into Sector C east.[13] The president at the time, Vojislav Koštunica, was told by Nebojša Pavković that the operation was going successfully, as the troops found no mines nor any UÇPMB rebels. KFOR helicopters supervised the VJ during the retaking. On 22 March 2001, the KFOR command led by General Kabigoszu, in a meeting with Yugoslav representatives in Merdare, allowed Yugoslav forces to enter Sector C west and Sector A. The entry started on 25 March 2001 at 7:00 am, with the Second Army of the VJ retaking about 1300 km2.[32] Ninoslav Krstić met with the KFOR representative in Merdare on 2 April 2001. On 12 April 2001, an agreement was signed between Krstić and Nebojša Čović, the head of Coordination Center for Southern Serbia,[33] along with KFOR representatives. Yugoslav troops entered Sector D on 14 April 2001, with monitoring by KFOR troops, EU observers, and journalists. No provocations by UÇPMB rebels happened after the retaking of Sector D.[32]

On 13 May 2001, Yugoslav troops and Serbian policemen, accompanied by the 63rd Parachute Brigade and the 72nd Brigade for Special Operations, launched an attack on the UÇPMB in Oraovica before they entered Sector B. The fighting began at 6:10 am when Yugoslav troops entered the city. At 7:00 am UÇPMB rebels attacked Serbian police and fired three rockets towards Oraovica and Serb positions. Attacks from the rebels stopped at 8:00 am, when Serbs appealed to the UÇPMB to surrender, which they declined. On 14 May 2001, the VJ captured the city after the UÇPMB attacked at 2:15 pm.[34]

On 21 May 2001, Shefket Musliu, Mustafa Shaqiri, Ridvan Qazimi, and Muhamet Xhemajli signed the Končulj Agreement,[35][36] which resulted in the full demilitarization, demobilization, and disarmament of the UÇPMB.[37][38] The agreement stated that the Yugoslav troops was allowed to enter the rest of the GSZ by 31 May 2001.[39][40] At the same time, the Serbian side agreed to sign the Statement on conditional amnesty for members of the UÇPMB, which promised amnesty to UÇPMB members from 23 May 2001.[41] The agreement was witnessed by Sean Sullivan, head of the NATO office for Yugoslavia. Two zones of Sector B were to be handed over the Yugoslav troops:

Kenneth Quinlan, Ninoslav Krstić and Nebojša Čović before Yugoslav forces entered Sector B of the GSZ
  • Zone B South by 22 May
  • Zone B Center by 31 May

Krstić, along with a KFOR Commander, met in Merdare to sign a document which promised the return of Sector B. After the signing of the document, special anti-terrorist and anti-trust units of the Joint Security Forces were present during the retaking to provide security for the troops. The first Yugoslav troops entered Sector B on 24 May 2001, with occupying 90 percent of the B south and B center zones without any confrontations from UÇPMB rebels. An hour and thirty minute battle with the UÇPMB in Veliki Trnovac had left commander Ridvan Qazimi dead, where it had been revealed he had been killed by a sniper.[39][42] Čović stated he praised how the troops entered B south and B north, and stated the Yugoslav Army will not enter B center due to the high numbers of rebels until 31 May. The VJ entered B center on 31 May at 12:00 when troops entered the administrative line along Kosovo.

Disbandment of the GSZ and aftermath

[edit]

After Yugoslav troops entered Sector B on 31 May 2001 and the disbandment of the UÇPMB because of the Končulj Agreement, the GSZ was fully disbanded. With the end of the insurgency in Preševo, many former members of the UÇPMB joined the National Liberation Army (NLA) to fight the Macedonian government, demanding more rights for Macedonian Albanians.[43] On 13 August 2001, the Ohrid Agreement was signed, ending the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia. The agreement provided more rights to Macedonian Albanians and disbanded the NLA. A full relaxation of the GSZ was announced on 17 August.[44]

Another Albanian paramilitary organization Albanian National Army (ANA, AKSh) also had former UÇPMB fighters.[45] The group is associated with FBKSh (National Front for Reunification of Albanians), its political wing. The group participated in attacks against Macedonian forces with the NLA.[46][47] After the NLA disbanded, the ANA later went and operated in the Preševo Valley.[48]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kosovo rebels accept peace talks". BBC News. 7 February 2001. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Da li je vreme za združene snage na jugu Srbije".
  3. ^ Schonauer, Scott (26 May 2001). "Yugoslav troops advance in buffer zone, brace for backlash from top rebel's death". pstripes.osd.mil. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007.
  4. ^ NATO (1999-06-09). "Military Technical Agreement between the International Security Force ("KFOR") and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia". Retrieved 2008-08-15.
  5. ^ "Security Council, welcoming Yugoslavia's acceptance of peace principles, authorises civil, security presence in Kosovo". United Nations. 10 June 1999. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  6. ^ "RESOLUTION 1244 (1999)". undocs.org. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  7. ^ Eriksson, Mikael; Kostić, Roland (15 February 2013). Mediation and Liberal Peacebuilding: Peace from the Ashes of War?. Routledge. pp. 43–. ISBN 978-1-136-18916-6.
  8. ^ Perret 2008, p. 63
  9. ^ Professor Peter Radan; Dr Aleksandar Pavkovic (28 April 2013). The Ashgate Research Companion to Secession. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. pp. 178–. ISBN 978-1-4094-7652-8.
  10. ^ Independent International Commission on Kosovo (2000). The Kosovo Report (PDF). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2. ISBN 978-0199243099. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
  11. ^ Quackenbush, Stephen L. (2015). International Conflict: Logic and Evidence. Los Angeles: Sage. p. 202. ISBN 9781452240985. Archived from the original on 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
  12. ^ "Roots of the Insurgency in Kosovo" (PDF). June 1999. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  13. ^ a b "Ground Safety Zone (GSZ): Time out for rebel strong hold - Serbia | ReliefWeb". reliefweb.int. 2001-06-01. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  14. ^ a b "Supervision of Kosovo's borders and military-technical agreement". Zyra e Kryeministrit. 2016-08-23. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  15. ^ "Military-technical agreement between the international security force (KFOR) and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia". peaceagreements.org. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  16. ^ "Yugoslav troops enter Ground Safety Zone". NATO. 2001-04-14. Retrieved 2024-01-27.
  17. ^ "SNAGE BEZBEDNOSTI DO KRAJA DANA U ZONI BEZBEDNOSTI". B92. 25 March 2001.
  18. ^ "Rebel Albanian chief surrenders". BBC News. 26 May 2001.
  19. ^ Yonah Alexander; Richard Prosen (15 August 2015). NATO: From Regional to Global Security Provider. Lexington Books. pp. 93–. ISBN 978-1-4985-0369-3.
  20. ^ Corson, Mark W.; Turregano, Clemson G. (2002). "Spaces of unintended consequences: The Ground Safety Zone in Kosovo". Springer. 57 (4): 273–282. doi:10.1023/B:GEJO.0000007205.16802.d7.
  21. ^ Rafael Reuveny; William R. Thompson (5 November 2010). Coping with Terrorism: Origins, Escalation, Counterstrategies, and Responses. SUNY Press. pp. 185–. ISBN 978-1-4384-3313-4.
  22. ^ "Yugoslavia Wants Smaller Buffer". CBS news. 22 November 2000.
  23. ^ "Ceasefire agreed in southern Serbia". BBC News. 25 November 2000.
  24. ^ "Die vergessenen Albaner Serbiens - Zur Lage der ethnischen Albaner in Südserbien außerhalb des Kosovo - Ulf Brunnbauer in Südosteuropa, Zeitschrift für Gegenwartsforschung, 7-8/1999". www.bndlg.de. Retrieved 2022-10-04. Overnight Friday, Albanian witnesses reported clashes between the Serbian police and the UCPBM fighters in Dobrosin. And a week ago, a UCPBM fighter and a Serb policeman were killed, while two policemen were injured in clashes in the village.
  25. ^ "Civilians Flee Serbian Border Town". Los Angeles Times. 2000-03-05. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  26. ^ Yugoslav Survey. Indiana University: Jugoslavija Publishing House. 2000.
  27. ^ Mukarji, Apratim (2001). Assertive democracy : transition in Yugoslavia : selected documents. Apratim Mukarji, K. G. Tyagi, Indian Council of Social Science Research. New Delhi: Indian Council of Social Science Research and Manak Publications. p. 442. ISBN 81-7827-024-2. OCLC 47667218.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  28. ^ "Uhapšeni Albanci otimali i kasapili Srbe". Večernje Novosti. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  29. ^ a b "Në kujtim të 20 vjetorit të njërës nga betejat e luftës së Preshevës – Epoka e Re". Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  30. ^ a b +Presheva.AL (2021-01-25). "Në njëzet vjetorin e Betejës së Shoshajës 24-28 janar të vitit 2001". PRESHEVA.AL. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
  31. ^ "Serbia offers talks with rebels". BBC. 6 February 2001.
  32. ^ a b "POVRATAK JUGOSLOVENSKIH ZDRUŽENIH SNAGA U KOPNENU ZONU BEZBEDNOSTI -SEKTOR C "ČARLI"". 2001-04-14. Archived from the original on 2004-12-20.
  33. ^ "Covic to stay at Kosovo Coordination Centre". B92.net. 26 February 2004.
  34. ^ "Yugoslavia: Troops Win Tactical Victory In Presevo Valley". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 2001-05-16. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  35. ^ "Southern Serbia's Fragile Peace - International Crisis Group". 2012-06-03. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  36. ^ "Србија није потписала "Кончуљски споразум"".
  37. ^ Kožul, Dejan (16 August 2021). "THE FORGOTTEN VALLEY". Kosovo 2.0.
  38. ^ "PA-X: Peace Agreements Database". www.peaceagreements.org. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  39. ^ a b "www.glas-javnosti.co.yu". arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  40. ^ "Ušli smo u ozloglašeno selo, rodni kraj teroriste, uoči "Dana Kapetana Lešija": Kada smo pitali Albance za njega, dobili smo jasan odgovor, na srpskom (FOTO)". Telegraf.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  41. ^ "Serbia: IDPs still seeking housing solutions and documentation to access their rights" (PDF). refworld.org. 2009-12-29.
  42. ^ R.Irić. "Albanci Preševa i Bujanovca slave komandanta Lešija". Blic.rs (in Serbian). Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  43. ^ Rafael Reuveny; William R. Thompson (5 November 2010). Coping with Terrorism: Origins, Escalation, Counterstrategies, and Responses. SUNY Press. pp. 185–. ISBN 978-1-4384-3313-4.
  44. ^ "KFOR announces full relaxation of Ground Safety Zone". reliefweb.int. 17 August 2001.
  45. ^ S. Cross; S. Kentera; R. Vukadinovic; R. Nation, eds. (2013). Shaping South East Europe's Security Community for the Twenty-First Century: Trust, Partnership, Integration. Springer. pp. 98, 101. ISBN 9781137010209.
  46. ^ "Macedonia - defense: Buckovski: "Let tragedy be the beginning of the end of the war"". Relief.web. August 10, 2001. Retrieved 26 June 2022. "ANA" CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR KILLING OF TEN MACEDONIAN SOLDIERS Skopje, August 10 - A new armed group of ethnic Albanians on Thursday claimed responsibility for the killing of ten Macedonian army reservists in a highway ambush a day earlier. The "Albanian National Army" (AKSH) e-mailed a statement to several media in the region, on Albanian-language, saying a combined unit of its fighters and of the so-called National Liberation Army (NLA) carried the attack out "in revenge" for the killing of five NLA members by Macedonian security forces.
  47. ^ "Rebels kill three policemen in Macedonia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 October 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2022. In a statement yesterday, a dissident ethnic Albanian group calling itself the Albanian National Army claimed responsibility for the killings, saying: "The Skopje government is restarting its terror and sees war as the only response to Albanian demands."
  48. ^ ""Albanische Nationalarmee" bekennt sich zu Anschlag im südserbischen Presevo-Tal – DW – 13.08.2003". dw.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
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