Battle of Lapušnik
| Battle of Lapušnik | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Kosovo War | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
| KLA | FR Yugoslavia | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Ismet Jashari Fatmir Limaj Isak Musliu Ymer Alushani † Kadri Veseli Fehmi Lladrovci | |||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| 121st “Ismet Jashari” brigade |
Yugoslav Army Yugoslav police | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 100 militants | 200 personnel | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 47 killed |
unknown TAM-110 destroyed | ||||||||
| / 23 civilians executed by the Kosovo Liberation Army in the camp | |||||||||
The Battle of Lapušnik (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 Lapušnik, 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 a previous ambush, led his forces into Lapušnik, 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 Priština—Peć motorway was obstructed for months, Lapušnik and the surrounding area was under rebel control, enabling the KLA fighters to move freely in a large part of the territory of Kosovo, which enabled them to organise and supply themselves with weapons.