Battle of Llapushnik

Battle of Llapushnik
Part of the Kosovo War and Llapusha-South Drenica Front
DateFirst Battle: 7-10 May 1998
Second Battle: 25-26 July 1998
Location
Result

First battle: KLA victory

Second battle: Yugoslav victory

  • Yugoslav forces take the Llapushnik prison camp
  • KLA withdrawal
Territorial
changes
  • KLA captures Llapushnik and the surrounding area on May 9,Yugoslav forces capture Lapušnik on 27th July
Belligerents
KLA FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Ismet Jashari
Fatmir Limaj
Isak Musliu
Ymer Alushani 
Kadri Veseli
Fehmi Lladrovci
Units involved
121 Brigade Yugoslav Army
Serbian police
Strength
100 soldiers 200 Soldiers
Casualties and losses
47 killed

Unknown

Tam-110 destroyed
/ 23 civilians executed by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the camp

The Battle of Llapushnik (Serbian:Битка код Лапушника, Albanian: Beteja e Grykës së Llapushnikut) took place on 7-10 May and 25-26 july, 1998 in the village of Llapushnik, in the district of Pristina, in Kosovo during the Kosovo war.

On 9 May 1998, Ismet Jashari, who still had not fully recovered from the injuries he suffered during an previous ambush, led his forces into Llapushnik, where he defeated the Yugoslav Army and police and captured the town. Alongside with him were Kadri Veseli, Fatmir Limaj, Isak Musliu and Ymer Alushani.

The Pristina-Peja road was made impassable for the Serbian forces. The Llapushnik gorge was kept blocked for months, enabling the KLA fighters to move freely in a large part of the territory of Kosovo and this enabled them to organise and supply themselves with weapons.