Draft:Battle of Gjirokastër

The Battle of Gjirokastër was a military engagement between Albanian rebels from the Salvation Committees and Albanian government forces, fought for control of the city of Gjirokastër during the 1997 Albanian Civil Unrest.

Battle of Gjirokastër
Part of 1997 Albanian civil unrest
Location Gjirokastër, Albania Result Rebel victory Southern Albania completely under rebel control
Belligerents
Albanian Government	Rebels
Units involved
Albanian Army Special Operations Regiment Albanian Air Force	Armed civilians and gangs
Strength
1000 Soldiers 200 Special Forces 5 Helicopters	200–300

Background

Main article: 1997 Albanian civil unrest

Following the collapse of several pyramid schemes in early 1997, the city of Vlorë—one of the main hubs for these fraudulent operations—descended into chaos. On 15 January, hundreds gathered outside the residence of Maksude Kadëna, the owner of the "Sudja" scheme. The next day, Kadëna was arrested, but public outrage continued to escalate. Over 6,000 people were protesting in Vlorë's Flag Square, demanding justice and the return of their lost savings. On 20 January, 1,500 people surrounded the offices of the bankrupt "People-Xhaferri Democracy" scheme in an attempt to reclaim their money.

By March, protests and riots had grown increasingly violent. On 1 March, Vlorë effectively had no functioning government, as the city fell under the control of gangs. The Himarë town hall and police headquarters were set on fire, while a police station in Gjirokastër was also burned down.

Aftermath

In December 1997, a series of explosions, which Albanian police lebaled as terrorist attacks, rocked Gjirokastër. In response, the Albanian counter-terrorist unit, RENEA, was dispatched to the city to track down the perpetrators. On December 16, a car belonging to a local drug dealer was destroyed by a bomb. Police spokesmen reported that this was the fourth bomb-related explosion in four days, one of which had damaged the house belonging to former communist dictator Enver Hoxha, and lightly injured a woman.

On December 17, Interior Minister Neritan Ceka issued shoot-to-kill orders against what he described as "masked bandits and criminals." He also declared that

"the bodies of criminals killed by police will be left lying on the ground for two or three days as an example to other thugs".

This harsh response came after the killing of three police officers and a series of highway robberies in the area. Later that day, some individuals involved in the terrorist attacks were apprehended.