The “Rahovec Battles” unfolded, marking the beginning of the first phase of open warfare between Serbian forces and the Kosovo Liberation Army. Units of the Kosovo Liberation Army from the Operational Zone of Pashtrik, reinforced by units from the Operational Zones of Drenica and Dukagjini, along with the Special Unit of the General Staff, entered the city of Rahovec and seized most of it. Their primary task was to evacuate the civilian population from Rahovec, as Serbian forces began widespread attacks. Through selfless efforts, they managed to evacuate around 20,000 civilians through the Yellow Pass, who were then sheltered in the municipality of Malisheva. The frontline extended from Rahovec to the Ostrozubit Mountains, on the Rahovec-Malisheva highway. During the battles, fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army were killed and wounded, while the Serbian forces suffered more casualties. The enemy retaliated by killing civilians, women, children, and the elderly. The “Rahovec Battles” demonstrated a new phase in the development of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s warfare in urbanized areas. (In the photo: View of the city of Rahovec.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1563.
Photo: © https://kk.rks-gov.net/rahovec/qyteti/
Graphic processing: AHCF
