Koshare, 9 April, 2024
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Battle of Koshare, the manifestation “Ditët e Shqipes” 2024 was held today, in Koshare of the Municipality of Gjakova, under the patronage of the President of the country, Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, together with the President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, first paid homage at the Memorial Complex “Dëshmorët e Koshares” (Martyrs of Koshare), in honor of those who fell for freedom.
And in his speech in the framework of the manifestation, the prime minister said that following the dates of the historical calendar of the Kosovo Liberation Army, like every other year during the last 25 years, April 9 brought us here to Koshare in Gjakova today.
“A complete chronological chronicle, day by day and event by event, as a total history of the Battle of Koshare, would perhaps be one of the most ideal works for the KLA war”, he said.
In front of those present at this demonstration, the Prime Minister recalled the successive events from April 8 to April 11, the day when the former commander of the KLA, Agim Ramadani, also known as “Katana”, but also the fall of many other martyrs, including volunteers from Europe and beyond, three of whom also fell martyrs.
Tearing down the border between Yugoslavia and Albania unjustly established in 1913, the prime minister declared that the Battle of Koshare broke a great dividing barrier between the Albanians and opened important channels of interaction between them, in the just struggle for the liberation of Kosovo from the invading Serbia.
“In the history of Europe after the Second World War, the Liberation Army of Kosovo is the liberation military organization with the most extraordinary and amazing history”, highlighted the Prime Minister.
At the end of the speech, he expressed his gratitude to all the indomitable fighters of the Battle of Koshare and glory to the martyrs of the Kosovo Liberation Army, fallen in Koshare as well as to all the martyrs of our good nation.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Your Excellency Mrs. Vjosa Osmani – Sadriu, President of the Republic of Kosovo,
Dear Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs. Donika Gërvalla – Schwarz and Mrs. Emilia Rexhepi,
The honorable Mr. Rrustem Berisha, former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army in Koshare,
The honorable Mr. Alfredo Bider, brother of the hero Francesco Bider who fell in the battle in Koshare,
Dear members of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo,
Dear ministers and deputy ministers of the government,
Dear Mayors of Kosovo Municipalities,
Dear generals and soldiers, officers and policemen,
Dear families of the martyrs, veterans and invalids of the Kosovo Liberation Army,
Dear members of the former Brigade 138 “Agim Ramadani”,
Dear citizens of Kosovo,
Ladies and gentleman,
Following the dates of the historical calendar of the Kosovo Liberation Army, like every other year during the last 25 years, April 9 brought us here to Koshare of Gjakova today. A complete chronological chronicle, day by day and event by event, as a total history of the Battle of Koshare, would perhaps be one of the most ideal works for the KLA war. But in the face of a historical challenge like this, which is reduced to the time of a speech like this, allow me, among the honors, to highlight here some fragments and episodes from the Battle of Koshare, before you who are participants and witnesses of it and before the generations’ young people who should know him.
The order for the big lesson that was prepared days before, came on April 8, 1999, from the General Staff of the KLA. Thus, on the morning of April 9, 1999, the KLA soldiers attacked the points of the Serbian army on the border between Yugoslavia and Albania. Agim Ramadani, known by the nickname “Katana”, led the 136 soldiers he had under his command in an attack on Rrasa of Koshare, forcing a numerically twice larger unit of Serbian soldiers to retreat from their positions. And in this effort he was not alone, but together with others from the Third Operative Group (GO-3) of the KLA. On that day, Friday, April 9, 1999, in Stanet of Pukaj, Abush Loku, Bashkim Jasiqi, Ramiz Krasniqi and Rifat Qelaj were martyred. This was only the first day of fighting in the Battle of Koshare, which would last until the last days of the war in Kosovo, in mid-June 1999.
The next day, April 10, the KLA soldiers managed to take the post of Koshare, where the special unit “Kobra” first entered, that day fought alongside the First Battalion and the soldiers of the Military Police. The next day, April 11, it was planned to take “Oplazi”, but during the fighting in Rrasa of Koshare, the Chief of Staff, Agim Ramadani, was killed.
In addition to him, Arben Jusufi, Driton Veliu, Harun Beka, Rrahman Tafa and Sylejman Shala also fell martyrs that day. On the sixth day of the fighting, on April 14, 1999, the twenty-year-old from Poroj of Tetovo, Mujdin Aliu, was martyred, together with four bloodsuckers: Kasim Uka, Bashkim Idrizi, Fisnik Salihu and Korab Binxhiu. From one day to the next, the list of freedom martyrs was increased by soldiers, while the day with the largest number of KLA martyrs in the Battle of Koshare was April 19, when 13 KLA soldiers were martyred during the fighting. Among them is Salih Çekaj or “Veterani”, who really was a veteran at least from 1991, when Salih Çekaj coordinated the departure of two groups for military training in Albania, the group of Zahir Pajazit and the group of Adem Jashari.
In addition to the two commanders who fell martyrs, “Katana” and “Veterani”, the fighting in the Battle of Koshare was planned and directed by many other comrades and fellow fighters, commanders and superiors such as Rrustem Berisha, Anton Quni, Skënder Hasanxhekaj, Fadil Hadërgjonaj, Naim Maloku, Xhafer Gashi, Nasim Haradinaj, Musa Gjakova, Feriz Terzhnjeva, Skender Rexhahmetaj, Hisen Berisha, Farush Thaçi, Musa Dragaj, Agim Haziri, Ramadan Gashi, Fadil Demiri, Sadri Lokaj, Adem Dahri, Abaz Thaçi, Esat Krasniqi, Sami Ukshini , Bashkim Kalaveshi, Naser Vllasi, Afrim Bekaj, Milazim Maraj, Gani Gjukaj and many others.
Together with the soldiers of the 131st and 134th Brigades of the Third Operative Group of the KLA, in Koshare we also find the special unit “Pitbull”, with soldiers from the Llap region, as well as the “Apokalipsi” groups, or the “Delta” Commando Forces. The medical teams with Agron Jusufin – “Doku”, as well as Edmond Shabi, Time Kadrijaj, Ilirjana Hakaj, Afrim Sylejmani, Fazli Shala, Miftar Zeneli, Bajram Zeqiri, Ryve Loshaj, Mustafë Loxha, Sylë Bruqi, helped the wounded from the fighting, Armend Agolli, Zeke Zeka and Rrahman Shala. And these are just a few among many other participants and among thousands of stories of the Battle of Koshare, that only historians will be able to summarize in the future and synthesize them into a great and necessary narrative for our nation.
During the fighting of the Battle of Koshare, in addition to extensive damage to equipment and logistics, the soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army caused many losses in personnel to the military units of Serbia, killing at least 108 of them.
Meanwhile, among the paramilitary units fighting alongside the Serbian forces, mercenaries from Russia were also identified.
On the other hand, among the liberation soldiers of Kosovo, 114 KLA fighters were martyred, while over 380 others were injured. Rrasa of Koshare, Shkoza, Stanet of Pukaj, Gusha of Botusha, Maja of Gllava, Vrojtoret and Oplazi were turned into places of sacrifice where the KLA soldiers were immortalized as martyrs.
The geography of the countries of origin of the KLA soldiers who fought in the Battle of Koshare extends to almost all of Kosovo and beyond it to Albanian-inhabited areas in the Balkans. And since the Battle of Koshare was fought in the framework of a war for liberation, for universal values, the freedom of the people, as freedom fighters it was joined by volunteers from Europe and beyond, three of whom also fell martyrs: Murad Muhamed Ali from Algeria, Pallard Arnaud Piere from France and Francesco Giuseppe Bider an Italian Jew from Italy, whose brother we have here among us today. Or as if the fighter from London, who is also here today, John Harrison, as well as the two Swedish fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Pelle Christrop from Malmo and Cim Sundin from Stockholm, who had left their country Sweden to joined the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army.
By tearing down the border between Yugoslavia and Albania, which was unjustly established in 1913, the Battle of Koshare broke a great dividing barrier between the Albanians and opened important channels of interaction between them, in the just struggle for the liberation of Kosovo from the invading Serbia. In the history of Europe after the Second World War, the Kosovo Liberation Army is the liberation military organization with the most remarkable and amazing history. The history of the KLA is a large collection of events and narratives about a local and insurgent army that was conceived over several armed and patriotic groups that carried out guerrilla actions and fought to stop the genocide of Serbia and to liberate their homeland, Kosovo. Although a guerilla military force with a liberating character, the Kosovo Liberation Army, concluded its liberation war as an army of thousands of volunteer fighters and as an ally of the great NATO alliance, in the joint struggle for the liberation of Kosovo, for humanity in the world, for the salvation of the people, for the freedom of the country.
Deep gratitude to all the indomitable fighters of the Battle of Koshare and glory to the martyrs of the Kosovo Liberation Army, fallen in Koshare as well as to all the martyrs of our good nation.
Thank you.
Last modified: April 11, 2024