Albanian victory Albania Chetniks Uprisings 1942 1943 1944 1945 The Battle of Novi Pazar was fought between November and December 1941 during World War II, between the Chetniks and Albanian forces under Axis command in the city of Novi Pazar, Sandžak, in the German-occupied Kingdom of Yugoslavia.

Due to the multiple insurgent, ethnic and religious groups in the region, persecution and genocide of Serbs, Jews and Romani people characterised the conflict in Yugoslavia.

To prevent the uprising from spreading further, Italian forces used various Muslim irregular units from Sandžak, Metohija and Kosovo to intimidate and expel local Serbs, who were considered to be supporters of the movement.

However, Novi Pazar remained under German control, together with Mitrovica and small area of the Sjenica municipality, Duga Poljana.

[6] Many armed conflicts between the Chetniks and Albanian-Muslim forces occurred during the period between October and December 1941, with a front being established between Raška and Novi Pazar.

Hadžiahmetović emphasized that this group turned Serb populated Ibarski Kolašin into dust and ash[citation needed].

The next day, Muslim forces from Novi Pazar attacked Serb houses in Trnava and began to burn them.

This had direct consequence to Chetnik-Partisan cooperation at Novi Pazar where Partisan forces left their positions to fill the gap at Kraljevo.

They managed to advance toward the town until 7 a.m. when the rear flanks of one Chetnik unit were attacked by Muslim forces under command of Bilall Dreshaj, Džemail Koničanin and Mullah Jakup.

[3] The defenders' success in the battle was celebrated in Novi Pazar, people waved Albanian flags and shouted glorifying Greater Albania.

[13] To provide additional forces, arms and ammunition Hadžiahmetović sent his men to neighboring regions of Yugoslavia annexed to Albania and Italy.

On 14 November Hadžiahmetović had around 5,000 armed men and made decision to attack Raška and burn all Serb villages in the region.

[4] In the late hours of November 16 Albanian forces reached suburbs of Raška, and the town would have fallen if many of unit commanders weren't more interested in plundering that military targets.

Failure to capture the town, meant Hadžiahmetović's troops lost momentum and gave time Chetniks to regroup.

Based on the false information that communists captured some parts of Novi Pazar, German forces returned to the town on 7 December 1941.