Attacks on Ponoševac

Between 3 and 6 May 1998, the village of Ponoševac was the site of a clash fought between the forces of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Yugoslav police (MUP) during the Kosovo War.

Attacks on Ponoševac
Part of the Kosovo War
Fragments of Ponoshec culture in the ruins
Date 3-6 May 1998 Location Ponoševac, Djakovica, FR Yugoslavia Result Both sides claim victory: • KLA claim: Fighters were not surrounded or defeated, remained active in the area, and clashes continued after Serbian claims of control. • Yugoslav Forces claim: Gained full control of Ponoševac, stating 200 KLA fighters were surrounded and later forced to retreat [1]
Belligerents
Yugoslavia	Kosovo Liberation Army Mujahideen[2]
Commanders and leaders
unknown	Rezak Alija Hasan Alija Shaban Dula
Units involved
MUP	Kosovo Liberation Army
Strength
50 police officers	200 soldiers
Casualties and losses
7 wounded police officers 1 police truck destroyed[3] 1 Serbian officer killed[4]	2 KLA soldiers killed and 2 wounded [5] 1 Mujahideen killed

Background

Weapons for Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members were distributed at the mosque in Ponoševac. In that direction there are passes up to 650 meters high, easy and suitable for incursions from Albania, until the border patrols of the Yugoslav Army closed that part of the border. On the Albanian side were the two largest KLA training bases, in Kukës and Kojel. The KLA had the initiative in this area, so small groups of police officers could safely move around Ponoševac only during the day, and only in police convoys and armored vehicles. There were about 200 KLA soldiers in the village, whose commander was Rezak Alija, and his deputy was Hasan Alija.^[1]

Attacks

Around 10:30 a.m. on May 3, a police patrol in Ponoševac detained a local Albanian. A house in the village opened fire on the patrol, wounding two police officers. A little later, the police station itself, located in the center of the village, was attacked by a much larger force of KLA. The blocked police officers requested reinforcements from Djakovica in order to defend the station and save the lives of the wounded. Reinforcements also arrived for the attackers, and the fighting continued through the night and throughout 4 May.^[6]

Yugoslav forces were repelled from Albanian homes and ran back to the police station where they barricaded themselves inside. The police station was attacked by the KLA whilst Yugoslav forces waited for reinforcements.^[7]

Journalistic teams did not have access to the region for security reasons. One reporter who managed to reach Ponoševac on 5 May saw a police pickup truck blown up by a gunfier on a local road. He met a Yugoslav officer who told him to leave the area.^[1][6][8][9]

"Thank you for coming, but you will have to leave immediately. This is a combat zone. Be careful. Terrorists are positioned along the road at the entrance and exit of the village. Look at this armored personnel carrier that was hit by a rocket launcher. Five of our people were injured, one of whom is in critical condition. This could happen to you too."

Yugolsv police officer

On that day, the Yugoslav police announced that they were in full control of Ponoševac and that about 200 KLA members were in the encirclement the day before its capture. The following day, on 6 May, it was announced that the KLA group had been defeated and had retreated to the hills and surrounding villages.^{[1][10][11][12]}

These claims by the Serbian authorities, however, have been deemed as untrue. After Yugoslav forces reported to have won and the fighting to have stopped, artillery and mortar fire could still be heard.^[13] The Kosovo Information Centre (KIC) denied Reuters reports that a group of 200 armed Albanians were surrounded by the police in Ponoševac.^[14]