vetrani i KLA disappointed: I'll get the kids out of Kosovo

His picture took the world's lap, but 21 years later, the vetrani of UCK expresses disappointment with the state's treatment and support as he sees the future of children far from where he fought. For years this improvised stand-by as a room serves as a refuge for Veli Morina, former Kosovo Liberation Army soldier.

The 52-year-old from Kline's Glareva keeps two uniforms on the wall that she had worn two decades ago -- the KLA and the other of the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanoc, where she served for a shorter time. Yet, a refuge for Veli, his wife, and his three children also serves this small house, the property of his uncle.

I live in this barracks here, even at the uncle's house with my family. But most of the time I stay here, because I know it's mine, stay free.”, Morina said.

Years ago, a charitable exile began building a new home for Veli Morina, but jobs remained half under funding. In addition to the veteran's salary of 170 euros, the former survivor fighter also provides for the collection and sale of cans.

I live alone with cans, I go and collect the cans on the streets of Kline, on the waste of Kline, just to survive. Not to live, only to survive. Because over one and a half euro or two I can't earn a day, because 80 cans have to accumulate for a pound. Now it is summer, and early light comes up, and at six o'clock I go forth from house to eight, and eight and a half in the evening, and I don't return, until it is dark. ”, he said.

The bicycle serves as a tool of work as it collects metals at the ends of the roads, and cars pose a danger to it.

It's hard enough, it's a lot of risk, cars have now been added with huge loads, but it has to withstand life. I had an accident once, I got hit by a car, but I got lucky, I got away. It still has to go out, because when it comes to children, at least obtaining a living, it has to go out again.”, he added.

Veli Morina is disappointed that former war associates who occupied leadership positions did not help with his minimum employment requirements.

“Commanders, friends, no one has ever found a job for me. And I told them, find me a job to clean up the city, containers to put them in the truck, but they haven't even offered me jobs. I don't ask them for jobs I can't handle, what I can't do, what I don't have school for, and they haven't offered me jobs. I didn't believe the commanders did this to us, he added.

Unable to pay his monthly electricity bills, he has been charged with a debt of about 1700 euros, for which the private owner forbids nearly half of his veteran's salary.

Moreover, it shows that in March of this year, precisely because of debts, the Court in Cline has handed him a two - year prison sentence on bail.

There's the court sentence, twice a year. Here's another decision. The court in Cline has sentenced me twice a year because I can't pay my last electricity bill. I owe about 1600-17 euros. The private depositer stops 72 euros, plus these guys are telling me to pay my last bill, I can't afford two bills.”, he adds.

His problems do not end here, since the prosecution had named him on the list of suspected veterans. However, Morina has offered his testimony for service at the 113 Brigade, alongside Muje Krasniqi, and is awaiting the decision.

Here's a picture of Muje Krasniqi, at the monk. I'm the first. Muj Krasniqi has been commander of the 113 Brigade. I have this other one with him at the monk's. I took these pictures from the archive KLA in Pristina. Even here, this is me back here, this is my”, the vet shows.

He feels sorry that this problem for him and many other warriors results from the abuses of those who were not at all at war.

I don't feel good. I don't feel well. I have this document now that I've done in 2015, which shows I'm a veteran. But there are also for them some false veterans. How did they get it? I don't know how they were able to get”.

Depressed, he speaks of other former fighters in a serious economic and social state, some of whom have ended their lives.

“I don't believe it, because there are veterans who may have more difficult conditions than mine, but don't talk and dare talk, some don't even talk about themselves. But some have narrowed themselves down to suicide, hung on the rope. I don't want to get myself that far, because it doesn't do anything. It's better if I talk, talk, work, do every job just don't get to the worst. But it takes work. I didn't believe they left us this way. ”

Former soldier of The KLA says this is not the Kosovo he fought for and dreamed of, while waiting for his two, 16 and 17 sons to fill 18th to head towards Italy.

I've imagined then that we haven't been out of state any, no new people abroad. But now I'm thinking that two children take asylum to Italy, because kids have two citizenships, they have Albanian passports, because I have my wife from Albania. It's expected that day will take my children away, and send them to Italy, asylum for youth.

Veli Morina is aware that his message is heavy, but 21 years after the end of the war he has lost hope.

It's very heavy, but when I tell my kids, what can I say? My children, who have been raised with a hundred difficulties, with a hundred sufferings, yet my children, my sons, how they can help me, must be pulled from Kosovo to Italy because there is no other way out. She's gone! I have lost hope in Kosovo and do not want to suffer children like me”, he said.

In the first half of the 1990s, Morina has served two and a half years in prison, because she had helped Kosovo's youth cross illegally to Albania to escape the military service of the former Yugoslavia after many Albanians returned to coffins.