Battle of Jezerc

42°46′N 20°49′E / 42.767°N 20.817°E / 42.767; 20.817

Battle of Jezerc
Part of the Kosovo War
Date 28 September 1998 Location Jezerc, AP Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia (present-day Kosovo) Result KLA victory • Yugoslav forces fail to capture Jezerc.
Belligerents
Kosovo Liberation Army	FR Yugoslavia Russian volunteers
Commanders and leaders
Imri Ilazi Agim Bajrami Qamil Ilazi Daut Ilazi  (WIA) Hajrush Kurtaj	Unknown
Strength
400 soldiers	Thousands (KLA claim) unknown
Casualties and losses
9 killed 2 wounded	Dozens killed Unknown amount of Yugoslav forces injured

The Battle of Jezerc (Albanian: Beteja e jezercit; Serbian: Bitka kod jezerca) was a battle fought between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav army on 28 September 1998 in the Operational Zone of Neredime near Kaçanik in the village of Jezerc, during the Kosovo War.

The Nerodime Operational Zone consisted of 3 brigades and operated in the areas around Ferizaj.^[1]

On 16 June 1998 the KLA would make their first public entrance in the region in the village of Jezerc which would be the first village under the control of the KLA in Nerodime. On the same date the first battle of the Operational Zona of Nerodime would happen between the meeting of 2 rivers where the vice-commander of the Operational Zone, Imri Ilazi - "Ferri" was wounded. Two days later, the KLA set up six war positions in Jezerce, which marked the start of the Frontal war in Ferizaj. On 5 August 1998 many KLA soldiers led under commander Agim Bajrami would march to Jezerc and reinforce the village.^{[citation needed]}

From 25 to 28 September 1998, during the Kosovo War, Yugoslav forces launched an assault against Kosovo Liberation Army forces near Nerodimë e Poshtme. Three Serbian units (located in Shushicë, Burrnik, and Semajë) surrounded Jezerc, starting their assault with heavy shelling from their bases as well as such other locations as a nearby river confluence, Mt. Buq, the pine forests of Štimlje and Dulje, a radio antenna overlooking the town, the Pleshinë Water Tower, and the Ferizaj barracks. The KLA's southern élan, the Nerodime Operational Zone, coordinated their response with the Kaçanik unit. Well-armed infantry and support engineers followed the artillery fire, streaming in from Nerodime and attacking from KLA positions 1 in Dramjak, 2 in Mollopolcë, and 3 in Budakova. Position 6 took heavy artillery fire, and ultimately attrition took its toll until the Nerodime brass for Ferizaj and Kaçanik beat a tactical retreat to the forest guard barracks below the village and onward to the Sharanik meadow. On 28 September, the bloody climax ensued, pitting 400 lightly armed fighters in the KLA Zone unit against thousands of Yugoslavian military and paramilitary forces, killing three captains in the Serbian secret police and dozens of others while wounding many more.^[2]

According to the Serbian press some of the police officers killed included Nebojša Jeftić (30), Saša Simeunović (32) and Želko Jovićić.^[3] and other dozens were killed by the KLA defensive positions 1,2,3 and 6. Russian volunteers were also reported to have been wounded in this battle. Upon the Yugoslav forces retreating away from the village of Jezerc and its outskirts and being defeated, the KLA would start to move its soldiers in Jezerc elsewhere as a part of its war plans.^[4]

The date of the battle marks the day of "Epopeja e Jezercit" which is the day when the 9 "martyrs" of the KLA are honoured.^[5]

• Llapusha-South Drenica Front
• Jezerc
• Battle of Paštrik
• Ambush near Suva Reka