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| Serbian soldiers captured by the Kosovo Liberation Army, source: AP |
On January 8, 1999, soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the Operational Zone of Shala captured and detained eight Serbian soldiers in a humane manner. The captured soldiers were later exchanged for nine KLA soldiers who had been taken prisoner by the Serbian army.
The incident occurred when a Serbian military truck, investigating an accident near Trepça, deviated from its intended route and entered the territory controlled by the KLA. Instead of turning right, the Serbian soldiers continued on their path, eventually encountering KLA members who allowed them to enter deeper into the territory. The KLA members, wearing uniforms, disarmed the Serbian soldiers and placed them in a former factory turned into a makeshift prison.
Shortly after the incident, the commander of the First Battalion of Brigade 143 arrived at the scene.
Hajzer Istrefi, the former KLA commander in the area, shared this story on Dukagjini Television. He explained that the Serbian soldiers initially feared for their lives, unaware that the KLA did not engage in torture and crimes as perpetrated by the Serbian army.
Istrefi recounted an interaction with one of the Serbian soldiers who believed they were being sent for execution. The soldier had a final request, presenting identification documents to prove his identity and requesting notification to his family in Serbia about his whereabouts. Istrefi reassured the soldier that they were not going to be executed or mistreated.
For a brief period, the captured soldiers were held at the Bajgora school and later in a house destroyed by the Serbian army in subsequent offensives. Associated Press images from that time showed the Serbian soldiers in good condition, without signs of physical or psychological violence.
Hajzer Istrefi emphasized that the Serbian soldiers communicated with their families in Serbia daily and were treated well, similar to how KLA soldiers were treated. He dispelled the soldiers' fears and explained that the KLA did not harbor ill intentions towards them.
After the incident, the Serbian government and the Milosevic regime were alarmed by the news of the captured soldiers. However, the KLA remained undeterred by threats, ensuring the safe release of the Serbian soldiers by 3 p.m. The plan was to hold the eight Serbian soldiers until the release of nine KLA soldiers captured by Serbian forces on the border with Albania.
Istrefi revealed that after reaching the agreement for the exchange, the Serbian soldiers were addressed by the commander of the Shala Operational Zone, Rrahman Rama, with a request to tell the truth about their treatment.
A week later, the KLA soldiers were also released. The negotiations for the exchange were facilitated by Knut Vollebaek, the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, William Walker, the head of the OSCE Verification Mission, and Christopher Hill, the U.S. Ambassador to Skopje.
This event remains a testament to Hajzer Istrefi's principled warfare and the humane treatment of Serbian soldiers captured during the Kosovo War, contrasting with the atrocities committed by the Serbian forces against civilians in Kosovo.