Operation Return (2001)
| Operation Return | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley | |||||||||
 A map of the Eastern part of the Ground Safetu Zone (UÇPMB-controlled territory peak up to the yellow line) | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac |
 FR Yugoslavia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Muhamet Xhemajl  Ridvan Qazimi † Shaqir Shaqiri Mustafa Shaqiri |
Ninoslav Krstić Goran Radosavljević Nebojša Čović | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
1,600 militants[1] |
3,500–5,000 personnel[2] 100 JSO members | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
550 surrendered[a][3] |
Unknown | ||||||||
Operation Return was an operation carried by the FR Yugoslavia against the UÇPMB during the insurgency in the Preševo Valley. It resulted in a decisive victory for the Yugoslav forces and the annexation of the Demilitarized Zone on the Serb-Kosovar border.
Aftermath[edit]
After the Presevo valley conflict, low intensity skirmishes happened occasionally with the most recent one being in 2014 by a suspected Wahhabi member on the Serbian Gendarmery.
Those skirmishes eventually led to the Crisis in the Preševo valley.
Notes[edit]
- ^ 150 to the Serbian Police, 400 to KFOR.
References[edit]
- ^ "Kosovo rebels accept peace talks". BBC News. 7 February 2001. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
- ^ "Da li je vreme za združene snage na jugu Srbije".
- ^ Schonauer, Scott (26 May 2001). "Yugoslav troops advance in buffer zone, brace for backlash from top rebel's death". pstripes.osd.mil. Archived from the original on 8 August 2007.