Adem Jashari

The legend behind the resistance to the Serbian Army in Kosovo in the 1990s and the rallying point to the War in Kosovo in 1998 and 1999. Of course you can wikipedia him and Tim Judah's book "War and Revenge" for more information on Adem Jashari (pronounced "Yash-ari") but he was a strong leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the mid to late 1990s, although he was not a founder of the organization. He was a wanted man by the Serbian government due to his prior small scale attacks on the Serbian army with his brothers and some friends. Jashari did not found the KLA, and to be clear, the KLA was an underground movement created by high school students in the late 1980s and 1990s as a civilian military to fight against the Serb army (more will come in a later post on the KLA). One of the founders and only surviving leader of the KLA, Rexhep Selimi, contacted Jashari in 1994 to help the KLA organize and unify because in 1991, Jashari escaped arrest from the Serbian army through use of force, setting a benchmark for Kosovar Albanian resistance. Jashari and his brothers at one point went to Albania to gear up for their attacks on the Serbs and are considered great military commanders in the Kosovar Albanian narrative. He is the face of Kosovar resistance and the KLA.

On March 5, 1998 the Serb forces surrounded his home from the hills above. They gave him a warning to come out peacefully, but this did not happen. The Serb military attacked and the Yashari family, which consisted of over 50 members at the time of the attack, fought back. It is said that Adem sang patriotic songs while fighting, which was later a rallying cry (and still is) for Kosovar Albanians. Jashari and 42 members of his family were killed, although this may not be the precise number. The memorial at the site of his home holds 43 tombs. Women and children were killed as well as a pregnant mother. One young girl survived the attacks and was the one who told of Adem singing while fighting. His house, which still stands, is now a testament to the will of the Kosovar Albanians and it is interesting that surviving Jasharis have built houses directly behind the former house. See the pictures below for the destruction and the memorial.

This is the memorial site.

Adem's tomb. There is a security detail there and 2-3 guards will stand by Adem's tomb when many people are around so not to desecrate it.

Below, on the right side, are the new houses built by the Jasharis.

The water tower represents the Serbian base in the hills. Unfortunately I cannot show the distance to the house, but I would say was about a mile or so away from the house. A sniper could easily pick someone off in front of the Jashari house.