Draft:Attack on Vranjina Tower

Attack on Vranjina Tower
	Part of Montenegrin-Ottoman War (1861-1862)
Date	July 18 1862
Location	Vranjina, Shkodra
Result	Albanian victory Albanian irregulars control the fortress of Vranjina until 1879; Fortress of Vranjina destroyed by explosives planted by albanian irregulars; Death of Oso Kuka;
Belligerents
Albanian irregulars	Principality of Montenegro
Commanders and leaders
Oso Kuka †	Unknown
Strength
25 Irregulars	8000 Soldiers
Casualties and losses
All 25 irregulars dead	Hundreds

The Attack on Vranjina Tower was an attack led by Montenegrin soldiers against the irregular band led by Oso Kuka.

Background

20 years earlier, several battles had been fought over the possession of the island, primarily between Ottoman forces supported by albanians,and Montenegrins. Between 1835 and 1844, various rebellions among Albanian highlanders against the Montenegrin army led to the enforcement of local Albanian interests. On October 16, 1843, Ottoman forces numbering 12,000, led by the Governor of Shkodër, seized the island. The Ottomans arrived at the lake with 50-60 cannons and opened fire against the Montenegrin troops in the tower. The Ottomans blew up the tower, killing 7 and wounding 18, who were captured. The Ottomans also seized the tower of Lesendra with 10,000 to 12,000 troops. The Montenegrins, numbering 200, fled and were met with harsh criticism by their countrymen. They tried to reclaim the island several times under Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, but failed. In 1844, Albanian highlanders from Shkodër sailed with 4 ships to the island of Vranjina to build barracks in order to resist Montenegrin forces.

Attack

On July 18th 1862 Oso Kuka,an albanian border guard, formed an armed band consisting of 24 men. When Kuka arrived in the Vranjina tower, over 8000 montenegrin soldiers attacked to tower. During the battle Oso Kuka and his men were defending a secondary tower near the real tower, due to being outnumbered the montenegrin army surrounded and besieged the tower. Instead of surrendering Oso Kuka and his armed band planted explosives in the tower killing him and his men and also hundreds of montenegrin soldiers.

Aftermath

After part of the tower was exploded montenegrin soldiers left from Vranjina.When the montenegrin army left several other albanian irregulars decided to take control over the tower. The tower of Vranjina remained under albanian control until 1879 when the Berlin Congress ordered that the tower be ceded to the Principality of Montenegro.