Battle of Košare
| Battle of Košare | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo War | |||||
Košare outpost, destroyed during the Kosovo War | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
|
Kosovo Liberation Army Albania NATO | Yugoslav Army | ||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||
|
Agim Ramadani † Sali Çekaj † Anton Quni Rrustem Berisha Hisen Berisha Kudusi Lama Wesley Clark |
Božidar Delić Dragan Živanović Duško Šljivančanin Dragutin Dimčevski Ljubinko Đurković Vidoje Kovačević | ||||
| Units involved | |||||
| 3rd Operative Group |
Priština Corps Units 549th Motorized Brigade 53rd Border Battalion 2nd Battalion of the 125th Motorized Brigade 63rd Parachute Brigade | ||||
| Strength | |||||
|
136–156 men (initial) up to 2,500 men (May) |
300 men (initial) 2,500 (May) | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
114 killed (7 by NATO friendly fire; 3 foreign volunteers) 423 wounded | 108 killed (16 by NATO; 1 foreign volunteer) | ||||
The Battle of Košare (Serbian: Битка на Кошарама, romanized: Bitka na Košarama; Albanian: Beteja e Kosharës) was fought during the Kosovo War between the FR Yugoslav Forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), the latter supported by the NATO air forces and Albanian Army. The battle was fought around Košare on the border between FR Yugoslavia and Albania from 9 April 1999 until 10 June 1999 during the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia.
KLA insurgents managed to take the Košare border outpost and a number of surrounding border areas following a massive artillery barrage by the Albanian Army and NATO airstrikes of Yugoslav strategic sites, but were unable to make further advances. The attack was largely coordinated the local Albanian commander, General Lama, who was in direct contact with General Clark. Tactical initiatives on the ground were entrusted to local KLA commanders who took part in the attack.