Ismet Jashari
Ismet Jashari | |
|---|---|
 Monument of Ismet Jashari in the city of Prizren | |
| Birth name | Ismet Jashari |
| Born | 16 April 1967 Orizari, Socialist Republic of Macedonia, FPR Yugoslavia [a] (today North Macedonia) |
| Died | 25 August 1998 (aged 31) Klečke, Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia (now Republic of Kosovo) |
| Allegiance |  Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) |
| Years of service | 1997–1998 |
| Rank | Soldier Commander |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Hero of Kosovo (posthumously) |
Ismet Jashari (16 April 1967 – 25 August 1998) also known as Commander Kumanova (Albanian: Komandant Kumanova), was an Albanian soldier of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) movement who was killed on 25 August 1998 during the fighting with Serbian forces in Klečke, Kosovo. The Ismet Jashari-Kumanova Brigade[1] of the KLA was named in his memory. After his death, he was declared Hero of Kosovo.
Jashari had left Switzerland where he lived to join the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) to fight against Serbian military and police forces under the command of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.
Early life[]
Ismet was born on April 16, 1967 in the village of Orizari in the Municipality of Lipkovo.
From his father's side, the Jashari family migrated to Macedonia in the early 1910s from Vranje in south-Serbia when there were a significant minority of ethnic Albanians living there. His mother came from the of Lipkovo near Kumanovo in Macedonia.
He completed primary school in his hometown to continue his secondary education in Kumanovo, Macedonia.
During the 80s and 90s Ismet Jashari was active on promoting democracy and freedom in the Communist Federation of Yugoslavia, these actions had him arrested several times and also the main factor which made him flee to Switzerland where he worked with construction.
He completed primary school in his hometown to continue his secondary education in Kumanovo.
Ismet Jashari has two brothers and five sisters. One of the brothers is who is an MP in the Macedonian Parliament today, representing the Albanian political party BDI (Bashkimi Demokratik për Integrim). The second brother is Murat Jashari who was arrested for illegal weapon trade during the Kosovo Wars by Swiss authorities.
Death[]
On August 25, 1998, while fighting with Serbian Forces, Ismet Jashari was killed. On August 25, 2009, Jashari was posthumously awarded the Hero of Kosovo award.
Legacy[]
In 2001, the 113th NLA Brigade was established under his name during the 2001 Insurgency in Macedonia. In 2011 a monument dedicated to him was inaugurated in Lipkovo Municipality, Republic of Macedonia.
Notes[]
- ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008. Serbia continues to claim it as a part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the 2013 Brussels Agreement. Kosovo is currently recognised as an independent state by 97 out of the 193 United Nations member states. In total, 112 UN member states have recognised Kosovo at some point, of which 15 states later withdrew their recognition.
References[]
- ^ Huggler, Justin (12 March 2001). "KLA veterans linked to latest bout of violence in Macedonia". The Independent (UK). Independent News and Media Limited. Retrieved 6 December 2008.[dead link]
- 20th-century Albanian military personnel
- 1998 deaths
- Albanians in North Macedonia
- Albanian nationalists
- People from Lipkovo Municipality
- Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers
- 1967 births