The Ambush near Suva Reka ( Serbian: ''Zaseda kod Suve Reke'') was an incident that occurred during the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

when members of the

Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Serbia during the ...

(KLA) ambushed a MUP convoy, killing three Serbian policemen near the village of

Dulje Dulje ( sr-cyr, Дуље, sq, Duhël/Duhla) is a settlement in the Suva Reka municipality in the disputed region of Kosovo. The village is exclusively ethnic Albanian; in the 1991 census, it had 1399 inhabitants. Geography The village lies in P ...

, close to

Suva Reka Suhareka (also known as Suharekë and Therandë in Albanian) оr Suva Reka ( sr-Cyrl, Сува Река) is a town and municipality located in the Prizren district of central-southern Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town has 10,422 inh ...

. The three Serbian policemen were blown up by a

rocket-propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are a ...

that exploded on impact with their squad car.

Background

The result of the ambush was due to Yugoslav troops shelling the village of Slapuzani.

Incident

On 8 January 1999, the KLA led an ambush of a convoy of Yugoslav troops. In the incident, 4 policemen and 2 civilians were seriously wounded after a fierce firefight.

Aftermath

The KLA followed up the ambush with another attack on a Serbian police patrol near the village of Slivovo, killing one police officer. The village of

Račak Račak ( sq, Reçak; sr-Cyrl, Рачак) is a village in the Shtime municipality of Kosovo. It was the site of the January 1999 Račak massacre, in which 45 villagers were killed by Serbian forces. Geography Račak is located about half an kil ...

served as the

staging area A staging area (otherwise staging point, staging base, or staging post) is a location in which organisms, people, vehicles, equipment, or material are assembled before use. It may refer to: * In construction, a designated area in which vehicles, ...

for these ambushes, resulting in a significant build up of Yugoslav Army forces and subsequent

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

on the village.

References

{{Campaignbox Kosovo War Military operations of the Kosovo War Battles involving FR Yugoslavia 1999 in Kosovo Conflicts in 1999 Kosovo Liberation Army __FORCETOC__