Adem Jashari

Adem Jashari
Birth nameFazli Jashari[1]
Born(1955-11-28)28 November 1955
Prekaz, PR Serbia, FPR Yugoslavia
(now Prekaz i Epërm, Kosovo)
Died7 March 1998(1998-03-07) (aged 42)
Prekaz, FR Yugoslavia
(now Prekaz i Epërm, Kosovo)
Buried
Adem Jashari Memorial Complex, Prekaz
Allegiance Albania[2]
 Kosova
Service / branch Kosovo Liberation Army
Years of service1991–1998
RankCommander
CommandsDrenica region
Battles / warsSiege of Prekaz (1991)
Insurgency in Kosovo (1995–1998)
Kosovo War:
 • Attacks on Likoshane and Çirez
 • Attack on Prekaz  †
AwardsHero of Kosovo
National Flag Decoration
MemorialsAdem Jashari Memorial Complex
Spouse(s)Adilje Jashari
ChildrenKushtrim Jashari
RelationsHamëz Jashari (brother)
Bekim Jashari (nephew)
Besarta Jashari (niece)

Adem Jashari (born Fazli Jashari; 28 November 1955 – 7 March 1998) was one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a Kosovo Albanian separatist militia which fought for the secession of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the 1990s.[3][4][5][6][7]

Beginning in 1991, Jashari participated in attacks against the Serbian police before travelling to Albania to receive military training. Arrested in 1993, he was released at the behest of the Albanian Army and later returned to Kosovo, where he continued launching attacks against the Yugoslav establishment. In July 1997, he was convicted of terrorism in absentia by a Yugoslav court; the trial was subsequently criticized by Human Rights Watch. After several unsuccessful attempts to capture or kill him, Serbian police launched an attack against Jashari's home in Prekaz in March 1998. The battle that followed resulted in the deaths of 57 members of Jashari's family, including that of Jashari, his wife, brother and son.

Seen as the "father of the KLA", Jashari is considered a symbol of Kosovar independence by ethnic Albanians. He was posthumously awarded with the title "Hero of Kosovo" following its declaration of independence in 2008.[b] The National Theatre in Pristina, Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari and the Adem Jashari Olympic Stadium have been named after him.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fazli was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Shqipëria dhe UÇK, prapaskena të historisë. Qëndrimi i Ramiz Alisë dhe mandej i Berishës ndaj luftëtarëve kosovarë (dhe një takim i fshehtë)". Gazeta Tema (in Albanian). 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  3. ^ State-building in Kosovo. A plural policing perspective. Maklu. 5 February 2015. p. 53. ISBN 9789046607497.
  4. ^ Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U. S. Intervention. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. 2012. p. 69. ISBN 9780262305129.
  5. ^ Dictionary of Genocide. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2008. p. 249. ISBN 9780313346415.
  6. ^ "Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 14 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Albanian Insurgents Keep NATO Forces Busy". Time. 6 March 2001.