The country's President, Vjosa Osmani, commemorated the anniversary of NATO bombings of Serbian targets, saying that "this shows that the combination of our liberation war and the help of the allies finally brought freedom." Osmani made the statement on Monday in Gllogjan, Deçan, in celebration of the Dukagjin Epic.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided to intervene in Kosovo in order to stop the terror being caused by Serbian forces in the 1998/99 war.

Osmani said that only united, and with the help of allies, can Kosovo achieve historic successes.

"Today we also honor the anniversary of NATO's intervention and this shows that the combination of our liberation war and the help of our allies finally brought the freedom for which generations were sacrificed and at the same time it is a message that only united for a sovereign Kosovo, but also with the help of our allies, can Kosovo achieve historic successes as it has achieved through liberation, independence and state building," she said.

The decision to bomb came after efforts by Richard Holbrooke - US President Bill Clinton's envoy - to persuade Slobodan Milosevic to sign a ceasefire. The efforts were unsuccessful, so then-NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana authorized the airstrikes, which were led by US General Wesley Clark.

The Americans said that force was necessary to stop the aggression that the Serbs were carrying out against the Albanians in Kosovo.

Osmani said on March 24 that it is the duty of Kosovo's institutions to honor the sacrifice of the Haradinaj and Gllogjani families.

She paid homage at the "Martyrs of the Nation" Memorial Complex in Gllogjan, on the 27th anniversary of the Dukagjin Epic.

On March 24, Osmani also stayed at the Haradinaj Tower where he was received by the president of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the former president of the Dukagjin operational zone, Ramush Haradinaj.

"March 24th marks one of the most glorious dates in our history because here a heroic fight was fought in defense of the Albanian people from what were massacres and among the fiercest attacks of Serbian hegemony under the leadership of the genocidal and fascist regime of Milosevic. The Haradinaj family and all of Gllogjan stood up to transform these towers into a fortress of freedom and many of those who fought fell martyrs and many others continued to contribute to the freedom of Kosovo. Therefore, it is our duty as institutions and citizens of this free and sovereign republic to always honor the sacrifice of the Haradinaj family and all those who fell for freedom"She said.

NATO bombing, which began on March 24, 1999, lasted 78 days - until the Kumanovo Agreement. This agreement marked Serbia's capitulation, causing its forces to withdraw from Kosovo.

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