First Attack on Prekaz
Part of theInsurgency in Kosovo (1995–1998)
Hamëz Jashari during an interview after the attack
Date 22 January – 23 January 1998 Location Prekaz,FR Yugoslavia (present-dayKosovo) Result KLA victory Yugoslav Forces launch asecond attack months later
Belligerents
FR Yugoslavia	Kosovo Liberation Army
Commanders and leaders
Unknown	Shaban Jashari Hamëz Jashari Ilaz Kodra
Units involved
Yugoslav Army Serbian police	Kosovo Liberation Army
Strength
Unknown	22 January: Several militants 23 January: Several militants and thousands ofAdem Jashari's supporters
Casualties and losses
Unknown	None
Two Jashari children wounded bySerbian police

TheFirst Attack on Prekaz occurred on 22 and 23 January 1998 during theInsurgency in Kosovo when theYugoslav Army andSerbian police attacked the Jashari compound in Donji Prekaz,Kosovo. The goal of the attack was to arrest one of the founders of theKosovo Liberation Army (KLA),Adem Jashari after he was charged withterrorismin absentia along with several other individuals in a trial that was criticized for not conforming to international standards.^[1]

Adem Jashari was not present during the attack and the police retreated after being repelled by men inside the compound on 22 January. The police made a second attempt a day later but were repelled by thousands of Adem Jashari's supporters that descended on the village.

The attack was followed by alarger attack initiated months later on 5 March 1998, which resulted in the deaths of Adem Jashari, his brotherHamëz, and nearly sixty other people, many of them women, children, and elderly people.

Adem and Hamëz Jashari were members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a militant group ofKosovo Albanians that sought the independence ofKosovo from Yugoslavia. Adem Jashari was responsible for organizing the first armed political formation inSkënderaj, in 1991.^[2]

On 30 December 1991, during what today is referred to as theprewar period, a large convoy of Yugoslav security forces witharmored vehicles and helicoptersconducted a siege of the Jashari compound at the village ofPrekaz. After four Yugoslav authorities were killed and a mob of armed and unarmed Albanians descended into the village, Yugoslav forces withdrew from the village and deemed it as ano-go area.^[3][4][5]

In an attempt toarrest KLAcommander Adem Jashari for killing a Serbian policeman, Serbian forces assaulted the Jashari compound in Donji Prekaz on 22 January 1998 at 5:20 am.^[6][1] However, Adem was not there at the time, but several KLA fighters from the Jashari family were and repelled the Yugoslav forces away from the village.^[1]

The next day, on January 23, the police and military made another attempt to assault the village. During this second attempt, a mob of thousands ofAlbanians who supported Adem Jashari entered the village in defense of the compound. Afterwards, the Yugoslav forces withdrew from Donji Prekaz.^[7]

During the attack, the Jasharis were aided by friends and neighbors that came into Donji Prekaz from the woods.^[1] The KLA and the Jashari family suffered no casualties from the assault, as many were hiding in the woods.^[8] However, two of Adem Jashari's nieces were injured by the Serbian police during the assault on the compound.^[9][10]

After the attack, theSerbian Ministry of Internal Affairs claimed that the attack was ashootout between local gangs.^[1]

After Yugoslav forces failed to capture Adem Jashari for a second time, they conducted afar larger attack on 5 to 7 March which killed 59 people including 28 women and young children and at least three people bysummary execution. The attack was heavily criticized byhuman rights organizations asexcessive force. According toAmnesty International, the attack was meant to kill all suspects and their families rather than arresting or apprehending armed Albanians.^[11]

• Yugoslav Wars
• Adem Jashari
• Battles involving Yugoslavia
• Kosovo Liberation Army
• Battles involving Serbia

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata