9 April 1999 — The Good Friday When Hell Began at Košare

The day the Battle of Košare began was etched deeply into the memory of those who took part in it. It was 9 April 1999 — Orthodox Good Friday, the day of greatest sorrow in the Christian calendar. For the young soldiers at the border outpost, that day became the beginning of the hardest ordeal of their lives.

The Calm Before the Storm

At that moment the Košare outpost was held by the 2nd Border Company of the 53rd Border Battalion — a little over a hundred soldiers, most of them young men serving their compulsory military term. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia had already been going on for more than two weeks, and along the border with Albania a growing tension could be felt. Enemy forces were massing on the other side of the border, preparing an offensive.

The Artillery Preparation

The attack began in the early morning hours, between three and half past four in the morning. From Albanian territory a fierce artillery barrage came pouring down. The shells were later described, over the days that followed, as an unceasing, deafening torrent. The purpose of the artillery preparation was to soften and disorient the defenders of Košare before the infantry assault began.

According to the testimony of participants, the first blow was partly directed at the neighbouring Morina outpost as a diversion, so that the main attack could then fall upon Košare.

The Attack from Three Directions

After the artillery preparation, the enemy infantry launched its attack from three directions simultaneously, seeking to encircle and destroy the outpost's defenders. The attacking forces numbered, according to estimates, around fifteen hundred fighters — many times more than the defenders.

The main blow was aimed at the dominant peaks overlooking the outpost — Rasa Košares and Maja Glava. Whoever holds those peaks holds the outpost. The young border guards fought desperately, but the superiority in manpower and firepower was too great. By the end of the first day, the enemy had seized Rasa Košares and turned it into an artillery position of its own.

The First Casualties and the First Reinforcement

On the first day of the battle a considerable number of defenders were killed and wounded. Among the wounded were the officers who directly led the defence. Yet, despite the losses and the withdrawal from the highest positions, the core of the defence did not collapse.

The very next day reinforcements from the 125th Mechanized Brigade began to arrive at Košare, and with that the stabilisation of the front began. What had looked like a swift enemy breakthrough turned into a long, gruelling battle that would last for months.

The Symbolism of the Date

The fact that the battle began precisely on Good Friday took on a special place in Serbian memory. A day of suffering in faith became also a day of suffering at the border. The ninth of April is today the date of commemoration of the Battle of Košare — the day when, every year, wreaths are laid and honour is paid to the fallen defenders.

To those who, that morning, remained at their positions under a rain of shells, we owe lasting remembrance. Lest it be forgotten.