Draft:Lučane counteroffensive

• Comment: As mentioned in the previous comment, there appears to be very little to suggest the name "Lučane counteroffensive" in reference to this set of clashes. The sources provided also after also largely unreliable, tangential, or date to before the events discussed. Pbritti (talk) 03:53, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: Is the term "Lučane counteroffensive" or "Lučane kontraofanziva" used anywhere in relation to this action? I cannot find anything online at all with these names. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 21:33, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

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Lučane counteroffensive
Part of the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
Counteroffensive of Serbian Police in the village of Lučane on 27 November 2000
Date 27–29 November 2000 Location Lučane, FR Yugoslavia Result UÇPMB victory FR Yugoslavia regains part of Lučane but forced to retreat afterwards
Belligerents
Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac	Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Ridvan Qazimi "Lleshi' Njazi Azemi "Mjekrra"	Ninoslav Krstić
Units involved
Unknown	Police of Serbia
Casualties and losses
Unknown	First attack: 3 killed 5 wounded Second attack: 4 more killed 2 more wounded

The Lučane Counteroffensive (Serbian: Lučane kontraofanziva) was the result of a series of synchronized attacks by the Albanian militant group Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB) between 21–27 November 2000. The counteroffensive lasted for 2 days and was a failure. While part of Lučane was taken back by Serbs, the UÇPMB later attacked the Serbs and forced them to retreat back to their original positions.

Background

Main articles: Insurgency in the Preševo Valley and Attacks near Dobrosin

On 12 June 1999, one day after signing of the Kumanovo agreement, which ended the Kosovo War, ethnic Albanian separatists and former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) veterans created the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac, UÇPMB.

An insurgency later broke out the same day between the UÇPMB and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which was able to do nothing due to the restrictions prohibiting the use of planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons, so the area became a haven for drug smuggling and operations against Yugoslav forces.

Between 21–27 November 2000, the Albanian militant group UÇPMB launched a series of synchronized attacks on the Dobrosin security checkpoint, and on the positions of the police on the corners of Devojačka Čuka and Osoje during the 1999–2001 Insurgency in the Preševo Valley.

Serbian counterattack

On the 27 November 2000, the Serbs launched their counterattack against the UÇPMB. Parts of Lučane were liberated from the UÇPMB, but they couldn't continue any further than half of the city.

UÇPMB counterattack

First attack

After the Serb counterattack, the UÇPMB fought heavily with the Serbs. Due to the Heavy fighting, members of the MUP from Gornji Milanovac were forced to withdraw to Konculj, Lučane and Bujanovac. The attack resulted in 3 killed and 5 wounded.

Second attack

Serb police retreated from the Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) after four policemen were killed and another two wounded, after which the UÇPMB took control over Dobrosin, Lučane, Končulj, Mali Trnovac and Breznica, as well as 4 police stations.