Kurti recalls second attack by Serbian forces in Prekaz, Jasar family resistance

Prime Minister Albin Kurti has recalled the January 22nd day of 1998, when Serbia's police units carried out the second criminal action on Shaban Jashar's family in Drenica's Lower Presaz.

The first of the Government has described the chronology of events on January 22, 1998, known as the second attack by Serbia's forces on Prescazi's pillow towers.

On Thursday, about 05am, Serbia's special units officers, who were stationed at the Prekaz ammunition factory, launched a lightning action on Shaban Jashar's homes. Wanting to catch them unawares, they intended to arrest or even kill Shaban's two sons: Hamza and Adam, but they did not spare anyone. For six months the police also watched the house and family of Shaban Jashar with 24 hours, almost everything was planned for the service, Kurti recalls.

“They were supposed to use the days of the month of Ramadan when fasting, for what they had attacked a few minutes after the syphyr, when after this meal people are asleep. By midnight, they had cut power and telephone lines. They had mobilised special police units trained for special and armed shares with heavy calibre weapons. But they had not only planned: that Shaban Jashar and his family did not give up because he was armed with firearms and weapons of freedom ideals, courage to fight and live in freedom according to Albanian traditions”, the prime minister's confession follows.

“Action began with three long-range shells: one at the yard door, one in the stable and one in the yard. Then a series of rockets and rockets were fired toward Shaban Jashar's homes, illuminating in the darkness of that early and cold morning of January, in the dark village without electricity. Ademi was not there, had shot at his uncle Osman Geci in Lausa. In the light of the stove fire in Odu, Shaban and his three grandsons, Fitim (17), Condition (13) and Besim (16), filled their weapons and began resisting”, he adds.

I waited and didn't respond, but when I saw them ruin my house and kill all my family members, then I started shooting. Everyone would protect their own threshold. Another house I don't have, it's all I have, so I'm going to protect it.” That is what Shaban Jashar told reporters that same day, Hamide Latifi and Sabit Istog.

“On the other side of the courtyard, from the windows broken by the attacks, Hamza struggled with machine guns and dropped several hand bombs towards the policemen who had entered the courtyard. The mother Zahid and the children were defending themselves inside the house, as she later confessed: “we were getting ready to sleep after the eyer, when the court suddenly went out and started shooting. We gathered with our children and women and took refuge in a room. My two nieces were injured, but we were rescued from death. That day, the bullets of Serbian police officers shot at him, wounding Selvete Hamez Jasharin (20) on his back, and Ilirana Rifat Jasharin (25) in hand”, recounts the event of that day.

The first of the Government says that everything happened within half an hour, until 0600 when the police began to withdraw with injuries among them and leave them behind in the courtyard of Shaban Yasar missile launchers and ammunition.

“In a pull-up, police fired and killed Hysen Manjoll, a 55-year-old from the village of Micesnica, who was going to work at the tile factory in Skenderaj. Two days later, on January 24th, Hyssen was buried in Mikushnica by 20,000 people. Serbia's state authorities were silent about the murder and injuries, activating propaganda for the “Albanian terrorists who had attacked the police and who had then allegedly been withdrawn to Shaban Jashar's house, from which they had resisted”.

As of January 22nd, thousands of people visited Shaban Jashar at his home, comforting him for his wounded nieces and material damage, and supporting him for resistance. Dozens of newspaper reports and television chronics were made up in the days ahead, witnessing the truth of those events. This action by Serbia's police towards Shaban Jashar's family came full of six years after the December 30th action of 1991. While only a month and a half later, on March 5, 6th and 7th 1998, thousands of Serbia's police and soldiers carried out the third and most fatal action in Prekaz, killing 20 members of Shaban Jashar's family of 59 were killed in Prekaz. After that, Kosovo's war became an irreversible situation, as well as armed resistance to the liberation of Kosovo”.

“Today there are 26 years of Serbian police action in Prekaz and the resistance of Shaban Jashar's family. We remember these events today and every anniversary, because there are chapters of history on the long track of Albanians to be freed from Serbia and live free in Kosovo”, Prime Minister Albin Kurti has completed his writing.