The Ground Safety Zone (Serbian: Копнена зона безбедности, Kopnena zona bezbednosti; Albanian: Zona e Sigurisë Tokësore) was a 5-kilometre-wide (3.1 mi) demilitarized zone (DMZ) established in June 1999 after the signing of the Kumanovo agreement which ended the Kosovo War.^[4] It bordered the area between inner Republic of Serbia in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) and Kosovo (governed by the UN).^[5][6]

Quick Facts Date, Location ...

Ground Safety Zone
Part of the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
Map of the Ground Safety Zone. Note that this is not the entirety of the GSZ, but the area in which the UÇPMB controlled up to the yellow line.
Date 14 March 2001 – 1 June 2001 Location Ground Safety Zone Result Končulj Agreement Yugoslavia retakes the GSZ UÇPMB disbanded Low intensity skirmishes continue Territorial changes FR Yugoslavia regains control of demilitarized Ground Safety Zone, including around 580 square kilometres (220 sq mi) previously held by the UÇPMB
Belligerents
UÇPMB	FR Yugoslavia
Commanders and leaders
Muhamet Xhemajli  Ridvan Qazimi † Shaqir Shaqiri Mustafa Shaqiri	Ninoslav Krstić Goran Radosavljević Nebojša Čović
Strength
1,600 militants[1]	3,500–5,000 personnel[2] 100 JSO members
Casualties and losses
27 killed 150 surrendered to Serbian Police 400 surrendered to KFOR[3]	24 policemen and soldiers killed 77 wounded

Close

In 1992–1993, ethnic Albanians created the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)^[7] which started attacking police forces and secret-service officials who abused Albanian civilians in 1995.^[8] According to Serbian officials, the KLA killed 10 policemen and 24 civilians.^[9] After escalating tensions between increasing Yugoslav security forces and the KLA, the Kosovo War started in February 1998.^[10][11][12]

With the signing of the Kumanovo agreement, the provisions designed the creation of a 5-kilometre-wide safety zone around Kosovo's border and into the FRY if necessary.^[13][14][15] A 25-kilometre-wide air safety zone was also designed by the provisions of the agreement.^[14] Only lightly armed police in groups of up to ten were allowed to patrol,^[16] and banned the FRY from using planes, tanks or any other heavier weapons. The GSZ consisted of 5 sectors:

• Sector C west – from Plav to the Albanian border
• Sector A – from Rožaje to Medveđa
• Sector D – parts of Medveđa, Leskovac, Lebane and Vranje municipalities
• Sector B – from Medveđa to Preševo
• Sector C east – border with Macedonia to village of Norča^[17]

In June 1999, a new Albanian militant insurgent group was formed by Shefket Musliu,^[18] called the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), began training in the GSZ, which was witnessed by the Kosovo Force (KFOR).^[19][20] The group began attacking Serbian civilians and police, with the goal of joining Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac into Kosovo, which escalated into an insurgency.^[21]

Due to the FRY's inability to use any heavy weapons against the UÇPMB, the group expanded and occupied all villages related to Sectors B and C east, with the exception of Gramada. They divided the sectors into three zones:

• North zone – Muhovac (command), Ravno Bučje, Pribovce, Zarbince, Suharno, Đorđevac, Čar
• Center zone – Veliki Trnovac (command), Breznica, Mali Trnovac, Dobrosin, Končulj, Lučane, Turija
• South zone – Bukovac, Gospođince, Mađare, Ilince, Depce, Masurica, Sefer, Kurbalija, Gornja Šušaja, Karadak

The North zone was commanded by Muhamet Xhemajli, the Center zone was commanded by Ridvan Qazimi, and the South zone was commanded by commanded by Shaqir Shaqiri. After his arrest in 2001, he was replaced with Mustafa Shaqiri. The UÇPMB only attacked Serbs from a distance with mortars, so the Serbs couldn't respond. After the overthrow of Slobodan Milošević on 5 October 2000, Vojislav Koštunica wanted the United States to reduce or disband the GSZ,^[22] with KFOR mediating a ceasefire on 24 November.^[23]

Many battles occurred along the GSZ, such as on 4 March 2000, around 500 UÇPMB fighters attacked the city of Dobrosin. The battle resulted in one UÇPMB and one Serb fighter killed,^[24] while another 175 were displaced.^[25] On 21 November, members of the UÇPMB attacked the city of Dobrosin and the surrounding villages. Heavy fighting resulted in the VJ retreating to Končulj, Lučane, and Bujanovac.^[26][27] After four policemen were killed and two wounded by the UÇPMB, the VJ retreated back to the GSZ.^[28]

On 6 January 2001, the UÇPMB took control of Gornja Šušaja,^[29] and were well received by the locals. On 19 January, in command of Bardhyl Osmani, raided VJ positions near Crnotince.^[30] On 20 January, the VJ launched an attack against the UÇPMB stronghold. The battle lasted for four days when VJ forces were forced to withdraw to the GSZ.^[29][30] These fierce battles, witnessed by NATO, were the starting point for the VJ to enter the GSZ, called Operation Return.

After Yugoslav troops entered Sector B on 31 May 2001 and the disbandment of the UÇPMB because of the Končulj Agreement, the GSZ was fully disbanded. With the end of the insurgency in Preševo, many former members of the UÇPMB joined the National Liberation Army (NLA) to fight the Macedonian government demanding more right to Macedonian Albanians.^[43] On 13 August 2001, the Ohrid Agreement was signed, ending the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia. The agreement provided more rights to Macedonian Albanians and disbanded the NLA. A full relaxation of the GSZ was announced on 17 August.^[44]

In July 2001, former NLA fighters created the Albanian National Army (ANA, AKSh),^[45] and announced itself on 3 August 2001.^[46] The group is associated with FBKSh (National Front for Reunification of Albanians), its political wing. The group participated in attacks against Macedonian forces with the NLA.^[47][48] After the NLA disbanded, the ANA later went and operated in the Preševo Valley.^[49]