Drenica massacre

The Drenica region mainly comprises the Kosovar municipalities of Drenas and Skënderaj

The Drenica massacre ( Albanian  Masakra në Drenica or Masakra në Drenicë , Serbian Масакри у Дреници Masakri u Drenici ) was a mass killing committed by Serbian special police forces in the Drenica region of central Kosovo. In February and March 1998, 83 Kosovar Albanians were killed.

background

Drenica is located in central Kosovo and is almost exclusively inhabited by ethnic Albanians. The inhabitants of the region have a long tradition of strong resistance to outside powers, which dates back to the Ottoman rule in the Balkans. The villages of the Drenica region are the birthplace of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK), which armed and began operations in Drenica in 1996. Until 1997, Kosovar Albanians designated Drenica as a liberated area because of the presence of the KLA .

1999 massacre

Satellite images of the Izbica massacre in the Drenica region

Serbian special police forces came to the Drenica region; they suppressed the Kosovar Albanians for three months to destroy the KLA base. Everyone was silent, but they had to pay with their lives: 100 Albanians were massacred.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Fred Abrahams: Background . In: Among other things: War Crimes in Kosovo . Human Rights Watch, 2001.
2. ↑ Fred Abrahams: Drenica Region . In: Among other things: War Crimes in Kosovo . Human Rights Watch, 2001.