Desertion of 4 March 1997

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1997 Albanian civil unrest
Part of the
Fighting groups
Forum for Democracy Salvation Committees Government of National Reconciliation Operation Alba
Gangs of 1997
Gang of Çole Gang of Gaxhai Gang of Pusi i Mezinit
Massacres in 1997
Massacre of 28 February 1997 Massacre of Cërrik Massacre of Ura Vajgurore
Tragedies of 1997
Otranto Tragedy Qafë Shtama Tragedy
Treasury thefts
Krraba Stealing Stealing of Northern State Treasury
Rescue missions
Operation Silver Wake Operation Kosmas Operation Libelle Operation Alba
UN Resolutions
Resolution 1101 Resolution 1114
Important events
Opening of the depots Desertion of 4 March 1997 1997 Albanian parliamentary election 1997 Albanian monarchy referendum
See also
Pyramid schemes in Albania
v t e

The desertion of 4 March 1997 (Albanian: Dezertimi i 4 Marsit 1997) was the desertion of two Albanian Air Force pilots, Agron Dajçi and Ardian Elezi, to Italy. The incident caused a diplomatic scandal and increased stress between the rebels and the government.

The event

On 4 March 1997, at 15:30, two pilots of the 4020 Regiment left Rinas airport and headed towards the south of the country. During their flight they detoured towards Italy and landed at the Galatina Air Base in Lecce. They managed to avoid radar detection by flying their plane 15 meters from sea level and were only detected by Italian forces after landing. The Albanian government later demanded the repatriation of the two deserters. The pilots said they were ordered by the government to strike Mifol Bridge, connecting Fier with Vlorë, in order to isolate the insurgency. Not wanting to hit civilians, they fled to Italy and subsequently asked for political asylum.^[1] The Albanian government denied that the pilots had been ordered to fire on civilians and asserted that they were simply sent on a reconnaissance mission;^[2] this assertion was reinforced by the fact that no armament was found on the plane in Italy after it landed. It resulted to be a leftist political propaganda.^[3]

References

^ "Defiance - and Wavering - As Albania's Rebels Face Army". Christian Science Monitor. 6 March 1997. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
^ "CNN - Albania's army pushes south to crush uprising - Mar. 5, 1997". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
^ "Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA), 97-03-05". www.hri.org. Retrieved 30 December 2017.

External links

[1]
YouTube: desertion of March 1997
Top YouTube-Channel: Events of 1997

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