On April 19, 1999 , in the mountains of Maznik, in a fierce battle with the Serbian forces to protect the civilian population, Shkëlzen Haradinaj, a fighter and organizer of the Kosova Liberation Army, was martyred. He was born in the village of Gllogjan in the municipality of Deçan. He completed primary and secondary school in Irzniq. Shkëlzen Haradinaj is one of the first fighters of the Kosova Liberation Army, together with his brother, Luan Haradinaj. In the period 1995–1998, he participated in a series of attacks against police posts and in battles against the Serbian army, where he stood out for his leadership skills. He was wounded several times. Shkëlzen Haradinaj played an important role in supplying the Kosova Liberation Army with military equipment and in dealing with the aftermath of the Serbian offensive in September 1998. After that, he was appointed assistant commander for combat operations in the Dukagjin Operational Zone. The Guards Battalion of the Operative Zone of Dukagjin, which was formed after his fall, was given the name “Shkëlzen Haradinaj”. In May 1999, the General Staff of the Kosova Liberation Army awarded him the rank of colonel general. (In the photo: Shkëlzen Haradinaj)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 883.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jul_Variboba
Graphic processing: AHCF
