Njazi Azemi

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Nijazi Azemi (16 June 1970 – 26 March 2001) was an Albanian soldier of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and later Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), best known for his support in the Kosovo war. During the war, he had the nickname "Komandant Mjekrra" (Commander Beard in English).^[1] He was part of Brigade 115 "Karadaku", which was later renamed Brigade 115 "Njazi Azemi" following his death.

Nijazi Azemi was born on 16 June 1970 in the Mogilla village of Vitina. His father, Ramush was the nephew of Fazli Tërpeza, a warrior who died in 1945 in the battle of Sllakovc against the Yugoslav troops.^[2] During his youth, Azemi was an excellent student, but he did not continue his education due to conditions at the time.^[2] Later he began to deal with the particular construction with wood carving, shaping the profession quickly. In the art of wood carving, Njazi had become a true sculptor. In this art he expressed his spirit of a freedom-loving patriot.^[2]

Azemi had taken part in various demonstrations organised by Albanians in Western cities. On 29 March 1989, in another protest against the Serbian government in Kosovo, Azemi was wounded following a brawl with Serbian police.^[2] It took him ten days to recover from the wounds in the hospital of Pristina under the overseeing of Dr. Zenet Ujkani. Then he continued is recover in various hospitals of Ljubljana, after he went there with the help of "Migjeni" association. In the autumn, Azemi began training with Kosovo Liberation Army.^[2]

Early life[]

Nijazi Azemi was born on June 16, 1970, in the village of . His father, Ramush Azemi, was the grandson of Fazli Tërpeza, a fighter who died in 1945 in the against Yugoslav forces. During his youth, Nijazi Azemi was a good student, but he did not continue his education due to the conditions at that time. Later he began to deal with special constructions with wood carving, quickly shaping the profession. He soon started making wood art in his free time. In this art he expressed his soul of an Albanian nationalist.

Azemi had taken part in various demonstrations organized by Albanians in western cities. On March 29, 1989, in another protest against the Serbian government in Kosovo, Azemi was injured after a clash with Serbian police. It took him ten days to recover from his injuries at a hospital in Pristina. He then continued to recover in various hospitals in Ljubljana. After going there with the help of the Migjeni association, Nijazi Azemi began training with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The Serbian police in Kosovo had investigated the danger that Nijazi Azemi would pose to them. For this reason, during the '90s, he was searched and his house was raided many times, with motives of searching for weapons of various kinds. In 1996 alone, Nijazi's house was raided four times by Serbian police. This persecuting campaign had often forced Nijazi to lead an illegal life. In order to avoid being arrested by the Serbians, he had gone beyond the borders of Kosovo and took refuge with his comrades in Debar, Macedonia and in other places of the Albania several times.

The Kosovo War[]

Like other Albanian youth, in the early 1990s Nijazi became the object of persecution for the purpose of being recruited into the ranks of the Serbian Army. Calls for recruitment to the army had reached him many times. But he had been determined not to answer these calls. He had openly stated that he would never accept becoming a soldier of Communist Yugoslavia. He avoided this because of his Albanian patriotism.

The time to fight the Serbian Army for Nijazi came with the formation of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the beginning of the armed war caused by them. Nijazi Azemi, because of his fighting spirit, quickly rose up the ranks in the Army. In the summer of 1998 he himself became part of these insurgencies, as a member of the 134th Brigade "Bedri Shala", which operated in the Operational Zone of Dukagjini. In all the battles of this brigade, Nijazi was distinguished by bravery and willpower by his many comrades-in-arms. He also took part in the Battle of Košare, in which he broke the most fortified positions of the Serbians, on the border between Kosovo and the Albania. Nijazi fought in the Dukagjini Operational Zone until his victorious return to his native village and family, on June 28, 1999, when the war ended. He had returned there as an armed victor, ready to fight more to establish Greater Albania. Therefore, the capitulation of the Serbia and the end of the war in Kosovo, Nijazi had not experienced with a sense of unnatural enthusiasm, because he was aware that the road to freedom was still long. This attitude of his seemed to have been noticed by the Kosovo Force (KFOR) troops, who, during their deployment in Kosovo, had stayed in Nijazi's house for a certain time and many times had turned their attention to him. But even this attention did not prevent him from joining the ranks of the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), from the first days.

The war in the Preševo Valley[]

The ranks of this army had already been filled by his brother, . In the UÇPMB, Nijazi also had a commanding position, of which he was known as Komandant Mjekrra. He was the commander of the 115th "Karadak" brigade of the UÇPMB, which after his death was renamed the "Nijazi Azemi" brigade. In the numerous UÇPMB battles, Nijazi fought until the internationally mediated signing of the agreement between the warring parties to end the conflict. He was cautious of the agree, because he did not trust the sincerity of Serbia. He had openly stated that he would not hand over his weapons and that it was not clear to him what his superiors had signed. "I did not seize the weapons to hand them over," Nijazi stated.

Death[]

On March 26, 2001, Nijazi with his comrades-in-arms, Burim Berisha, Milaim Abazi, from Skifteraj, Hajrizi and other fighters, were on the front line near the village of Caravajka in the municipality of Presevo. Serbian forces were also stationed in this village. In the afternoon of this date, during a shootout in Stanec, Nijazi was hit by a sniper bullet. Although he was wearing an anti-tank vest, he was hit in the left side of the chest. The bullet had penetrated the place where the vest had been copied. Hajrizi, and other comrades drag Nijazi's body to the place where he could be given first aid. Forty minutes after they started administering first aid, Nijazi Azemi died.

On March 28, 2001, the body of the Nijazi Azemi was exhibited in the Adem Jashari square in Vitina, in front of which thousands of soldiers from all over Kosovo and other ethnic areas. With high honor, he was buried that day, in the Martyrs' Cemetery in Vitina. A square in the city of Vitina bears the name of Nijazi Azemi. His time has been reflected in many newspaper articles and in a documentary.

References[]