The Battle of Bukoc (in Albanian: Beteja e Bukocit), also called the Battle of Bukovac (in Serbian Cyrillic: Битка на Буковцу; in Serbian romanized: Bitka na Bukovcu), was a clash that started on 8 December 2000, when members of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB) attacked the village of Bukoc, at the time controlled by the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
| Battle of Bukoc | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia |
 Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB) | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Unknown |
Mustafa Shaqiri Bardhyl Osmani Shaban Ukshini[1] | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
|
Unknown |
113th Brigade "Ibrahim Fejzullahu" | ||||||||
Battle
editAfter some fighting that occurred in the area around Dobrosin, UÇPMB militants captured Oraovica and its surroundings, including the village of Bukoc.[2][3] On 6 December 2000, Yugoslav forces entered in Bukoc, but on 8 December a battle occurred and they were forced to retreat, granting UÇPMB the control over the village. After this battle, the village of Bukoc became the first line of defense in this period. After this battle, the II Battalion of Brigade 113 - "Ibrahim Fejzullahu" was formed, under the command of Shaban Ukshin (Commander Terri).[4] In this defensive line, the 2nd Bukoc Battalion operated, and from this moment the UÇPMB would slowly start taking control over villages in the region of the Preševo valley.[5]
Aftermath
editAfter the battle, UÇPMB units located in the village, sought to capture more Albanian settlements.[4] In this context, on January 6, 2001, under the leadership of Bardhyl Osmani, also known as Commander Delta, together with his men entered and captured the village of Šušaja for the UÇPMB.[4] The crisis in Šušaja eventually culminated in an armed confrontation, in which the UÇPMB again emerged victorious.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Shtatore e Dëshmorëve: Sami e Shaban Ukshini- Zhegër, Gjilan". amkmk.rks-gov.net (in Albanian).
- ^ "Ceasefire agreed in southern Serbia". BBC News. 25 November 2000.
- ^ "Uhapšeni Albanci otimali i kasapili Srbe". Večernje Novosti. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
- ^ a b c d "Në kujtim të 20 vjetorit të njërës nga betejat e luftës së Preshevës". Epoka E Re (in Albanian).
- ^ "Përkujtohet 20-vjetori i betejës së Bukocit". Epoka E Re (in Albanian).