Attack on Prekaz
Encyclopedia
The Attack on Prekaz was an operation led by the Serbian police Anti-terrorist Unit
SAJ (Special Anti-terrorist Unit)
The Special Anti-terrorist Unit is a special operations and tactical police unit in Serbia.-History:The SAJ was formed in the former Yugoslavia, due to the increasing phenomenon of terrorism in Europe that was occurring at the time from such groups as: IRA, ETA, Red Army Faction and the Red Brigade...

, launched on March 5, 1998. During the operation, the leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army
Kosovo Liberation Army
The Kosovo Liberation Army or KLA was a Kosovar Albanian paramilitary organization which sought the separation of Kosovo from Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the 1990s....

, Adem Jashari
Adem Jashari
Adem Jashari was born in Prekaz, in the Drenica region of Kosovo, . He is considered to be one of the chief architects of the Kosovo Liberation Army, along with Zahir Pajaziti...

 and his brother, also a member, Hamëz Jashari
Hamëz Jashari
Hamëz Jashari was a Kosovo Albanian combatant and brother of Adem Jashari. He was also a commander of Kosovo Liberation Army . He accompanied his brother Adem during the Kosovo war in 1998....

, were killed along with more than 50 other family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...

 members, including women and children.

Background

On December 30, 1991, when Adem Jashari and Hamëz Jashari were at home in Prekaz, Serbian police surrounded them in an unsuccessful attempt to capture or kill them. They broke the siege and later participated in several actions against Serbian army
Military of Serbia
The Serbian Armed Forces are the armed services of Serbia. They consist of the Serbian Army and the Serbian Air Force and Air Defence...

 and police.

Later when the Kosovo war
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...

 began Adem and Hamez were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army that fought Serbian police and army in an attempt to gain independence from Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

. On February 28, 1998, a group of insurgents led by Adem Jashari attacked Serbian police patrols killing four policemen and injuring two. In the attack sixteen KLA members were killed.

Operation

At dawn of March 5, 1998, the KLA launched another attack on police patrol in Donje Prekaze. After the second attack, police prepared a strong response. They started attacking KLA members who were forced to retreat to Jashari's compound in the same village.

Serbian police surrounded the group and invited them to surrender, while urging all other persons to clear the premises. The police gave them two hours to comply. Within the given deadline, dozens of civilians complied with the order and dispersed in safety from the stronghold.

After the two-hour deadline expired, Jashari's group responded with fire using heavy weapons - mortars, machine guns, hand grenades, automatic and sniper guns killing two and injuring three policemen.
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