The Battle of Pasjane refers to a series of clashes between

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

Kachaks Kachaks (, / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanians, Albanian rebels active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia (region), Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albania ...

under the command of Idriz Seferi and

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

Chetniks The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

under the command of

Rade Radivojević Rade Radivojević ( sr-cyr, Раде Радивојевић; 1874—July 1907), known as Vojvoda Dušan (Душан), was a Serbian Chetnik Organization, Serbian Chetnik vojvoda in Old Serbia and Macedonia (region), Macedonia during the Macedonian ...

and Dragoljub Nikolić in the villages at the foothills of the

Skopska Crna Gora Skopska Crna Gora or Karadak Mountains ( Macedonian and , ; ), often called simply Crna Gora (Macedonian and ; ), is a mountain range and ethnographic region in North Macedonia, Kosovo and Serbia. The highest peak is Ramno in Macedonia. The la ...

(Karadak) Mountains. The battles ended in a

defeat, with almost all of their soldiers falling in battle.

Prelaude

In the summer of 1907, Serbian

Chetnik The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...

squads were active in areas with Serbian minorities in the Sanjak of Prishtina, including the Kaza of Gjilan. Albanians in the Skopska Crna Gora under Idriz Seferi formed volunteer squads to monitor and counter Serbian insurgent activities. These Albanian squads were organized throughout the Kosovo Vilayet, including

Karadak Karadak is a village in the municipality of Raška, Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map ...

and

Gjilan Gjilan ( sq-definite, Gjilani) or Gnjilane ( sr-Cyrl, Гњилане) is the third most populous city in Kosovo and it serves as both a municipality and the administrative center of the District of Gjilan, Gjilan District. According to the 2024 ...

Battle

In July 1907, the "Pasjani squad," composed of about 40 well-armed and trained Komiti from Vranje, infiltrated over the

mountains into the Kaza of Gjilan, disguised in Albanian national clothing. They took refuge in the church of

Pasjane Pasjane ( sr-Cyrl, Пасјане) or Pasjani (), is a village in the municipality of Parteš in Kosovo. It is inhabited by a majority of ethnic Serbs. History The village was mentioned as ''Pasjan'' ( sr-Cyrl, Пасјан) in the Ottoman ''def ...

village. After three days, the

were discovered by passing Albanian villagers, prompting the Albanian Kachaks under Idriz Seferi in Gjilan to respond, with some limited assistance from local Ottoman government officers. On July 15, 1907, a clash ensued around the church, resulting in heavy casualties, predominantly among the Serbian Chetniks. The Chetniks managed to break the siege but were pursued and further engaged by Albanian Kachaks. Near the village of

Gjylekar Gjylekar (, ) or Skifteraj is a village in Viti municipality, Kosovo. Geography The village borders the Kosovo Pomoravlje, Anamorava valley in the North and is situated in the Skopska Crna Gora, Karadak mountains. History The ancestors of th ...

, 15 Chetniks were killed, while the Albanian side suffered two deaths and seven injuries. Subsequent clashes near

Preševo Preševo ( sr-Cyrl, Прешево, ; , ) is a town and municipality located in the Pčinja District of southern Serbia. As of the 2022 census, the municipality has a population of 33,449 inhabitants. It is the southernmost town in Central Serbia a ...

led to more Chetniks deaths. The two-day conflict resulted in the deaths of 38 Serbian Chetniks, including their leader Dragoljub Nikolić, and six Albanian casualties with 13 wounded. The fallen Chetniks were buried by the

in Gjilan at the Martyrs' Hill (formerly Popovica).

Aftermath

The destruction of the Pasjani squad resonated both within and outside Albanian inhabited territories. The failure of the Belgrade government's tactics led the Serbian consulate in Prishtina and the Russian embassy in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

to call for an end to further military actions.

References

{{reflist Battles involving Albania 1907 in the Ottoman Empire Conflicts in 1907 Chetniks of the Macedonian Struggle July 1907 in Europe Events during the Macedonian Struggle