Maxhun Çekaj, a fighter of the Kosovo Liberation Army, was born in the village of Irzniq, in the municipality of Deçan. He completed his schooling in Irzniq, Pristina, and Gjakova. During his military service in Maribor, Slovenia, he also attended the reserve officer school, and later completed the Faculty of Defense and Security in Belgrade. From 1962 until 1998, he worked in education. With the outbreak of war in Dukagjin, he joined the ranks of the Kosovo Liberation Army. He was appointed commander of the local KLA headquarters for Irzniq. For several months, Irzniq was one of the important bases of the KLA in the Dukagjin Operational Zone, where a military hospital was established and many displaced persons from the war zones were located. He was also responsible for the front line in Gerdaja (between Prilep and Carrabreg). In 1998, along with 50–60 KLA soldiers, he faced attacks from Serbian forces. After 12 hours of fierce fighting, Maxhun Çekaj heroically fell. (In the photo: Maxhun Çekaj)
Text: Encyclopedic Dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. I, Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Pristina, 2018, p. 271.
Photo: © https://www.facebook.com/356407694529888/posts/1383017128535601/
Graphic processing: AHCF
