Battle of Belaćevac Mine 1998
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 22 June 1998 – 1 July 1998 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1998 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Kosovo | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Kosovo War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 42.6900, 21.0778 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Belaćevac Mine was a week-long clash between the Yugoslav Army (VJ), Serbian police (MUP) and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in June 1998, during the Kosovo War. It was fought over the Belaćevac coal mine, which powered two generating stations that supplied electricity to most of Kosovo.
The KLA seized the mine on 22 June, taking nine Serb mineworkers hostage, converting the mine into a base of operations and taunting the Yugoslav authorities by sending daylight patrols within sight of the provincial capital, Pristina. Over the next seven days, Yugoslav authorities and the KLA negotiated over the fate of the mineworkers. Once negotiations broke down, the VJ and MUP attacked the mine and forced the KLA out. Ten militants were killed in the clashes. The VJ and MUP reported suffering no casualties. Though the mine was recaptured, the hostages were nowhere to be found, and it is presumed they were killed by the militants. As of June 2014, the location of the mineworkers' remains is unknown. No one has ever been convicted of their deaths.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Belaćevac Mine (revision 1370433877), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
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Browse more: battles in Kosovo · Europe · Post-1945 battles