Yugoslavia: Whether there was a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) presence in Lapashtice in 1998-1999; reported military activities
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 4 February 2003 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | YUG40577.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Yugoslavia: Whether there was a Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) presence in Lapashtice in 1998-1999; reported military activities, 4 February 2003, YUG40577.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e3d26.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In 1998-1999, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA/UCK) stationed a headquarters or stronghold in Lapastica (Llapashtica, Llapashticë) (AP 27 Dec. 1998; CNN 23 Mar. 1999; ibid. 27 Dec. 1998) under the command of KLA commander Remi (Washington Post 1 Jan. 1999; CNN 16 Feb. 1999; TDN 21 Dec. 1998). Other regional leaders include the deputy commander Daja (TDN 21 Dec. 1998) and political representative Adam Demaci (Washington Post 1 Jan. 1999). In August 2002 Remi, whose name is Rrustem Mustafa, was charged by the Kosovo Interim Administration with the unlawful detention, torture and murder of five persons in 1998-1999 (ICG 12 Sept. 2002, 1).
The Lapastica headquarters was reportedly the target of a Serbian military offensive in late December 1998 (CNN 27 Dec. 1998) including a Serbian armoured assault on Christmas Eve (Washington Post 1 Jan. 1999), which killed one ethnic Albanian and set fire to several houses (CNN 24 Dec. 1998). In the days that followed, a Serbian farmer was killed after reportedly firing upon the KLA (TDN 28 Dec. 1998; CNN 27 Dec. 1998), there were exchanges of rifle and mortar fire between KLA and Serbian forces (ibid.) and, on 27 December 1998, a second assault launched on Lapastica that was also resisted (KIC 27 Dec. 1998).
The United Nations reported that the fighting in December 1998 convinced more than 5,000 people in the Lapastica area to flee their homes; however, it did little damage to their villages and hundreds of refugees had returned by 11 January 1999 (11 January 1999). An April 1999 summary report of Serbian military actions in Kosovo noted that the conflict in the Lapastica area was "continuing" (FAS 1 Apr. 1999). Indeed, a representative of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe noted that "tit-for-tat firing' and small ongoing bursts' of fighting" continued in the Lapastica region in February 1999 (CNN 16 Feb. 1999). Accordingly, the Research Directorate found numerous reports referring to low-level military exchanges in Lapastica between January and March 1999 (ISP 9 Jan. 1999; ARTA 28 Jan. 1999; KIC 28 Jan. 1999; ibid. 12 Feb. 1999; BETA 15 Mar. 1999), although no reports were found following the onset of NATO led air strikes on 24 March 1999 (BETA 31 Mar. 1999).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
ARTA News Agency [Pristina]. 28 January 1999. "Llapashticë Under Serb Artillery Fire." (Kosovo Crisis Center 29 Jan. 1999/Alb-net.com) Associated Press (AP). 27 December 1998. "Misha Savic. "Fierce Fighting Erupts in Kosovo." (Kosovo Crisis Centre 27 Dec. 1998/Alb-net.com) BETA News Agency [Belgrade, in English]. 31 March 1999. "BETA Lists Events Leading to NATO Strikes." (FBIS-EEU-1999-0331 31 Mar. 1999/WNC)
_____ [Belgarde, in Serbo-Croatian]. 15 March 1999. "OSCE Confirms UCK, Serb Military Clashes Around Vucitrn." (FBIS-EEU-1999-0315 15 Mar. 1999/WNC)
CNN. 23 March 1999. "Second Round of Emergency Kosovo Talks Ends." _____. 16 February 1999. "Kosovo Rebel Commander Says KLA Won't Disarm." _____. 27 December 1998. "Serb Offensive Heats Up in Kosovo." _____. 24 December 1998. "Shelling in Kosovo Further Strains Shaky Truce." Federation of American Scientists (FAS). 1 April 1999. "Summary Report on Serbian Offensive." Information Service Prishtinë (ISP). 9 January 1999. "Daily Information Nr. 2." (Kosovo Crisis Center 9 Jan. 1999/Alb-net.com) International Crisis Group (ICG). 12 September 2002. ICG Balkans Report No. 134. "Finding the Balance: The Scales of Justice in Kosovo." Kosova Information Center (KIC). 12 February 1999. "Serbian Forces Shell Llapashticë Village in Podujeva Area." (Kosovo Crisis Center 12 Feb. 1999/Alb-net.com) _____. 28 January 1999. "In the Wake of Yesterday's Serb Offensive, Llapashtica Village Shelled Today." (Kosovo Crisis Centre 29 Jan. 1999/Alb-net.com) _____. 27 December 1998. Xhemail Mustafa. "President Rugova's Aid Calls for NATO Intervention in Kosova." (Kosovo Crisis Centre 27 Dec. 1998/Alb-net.com) Turkish Daily News (TDN) [Ankara]. 28 December 1998. "Refugees Fleeing Kosovo Fighting Crowd in Rebel Stronghold." _____. 21 December 1998. Dave Carpenter. "Kosovo KLA Rebels Grow and Rearm." United Nations (UN). 11 January 1999. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. UN Inter-Agency Update on Kosovo Humanitarian Situation Report 76. (Relief Web) Washington Post. 1 January 1999. Peter Finn. "Adversaries' View of Future: Shattered Cease-Fire Signals New Year of Conflict for Ethnic Albanians and Serbs." (Kosovo Crisis Centre Newsletter 4 Jan. 1999/Alb-net.com) Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
NEXIS
Internet sites, including:
Advocates for Kosova Independence
Albania Net
BBC
Council of Europe
Kosovo Crisis Center
NATO
OSCE
United Nations
World News Connection
