Today marks 28 years since the sound of gunfire was heard, but 28 years later, citizens, fellow fighters, and the families of the fallen came to Gllogjan to honor and remember the Dukagjin Epic.
The doors of the Haradinaj family towers were also open today to welcome supporters and fellow fighters.
Soldier Gëzim Daka from the 137th Brigade said that Dukagjin made a significant contribution to the liberation of the country, despite the young age of many fighters at the time.
“Even though they seemed very young, Dukagjin gave a lot for Kosovo. The very fact that we are here today means we won our freedom. We could have had many more young men in our lands who gave their lives. Freedom is precious; hopefully, we will enjoy it. March 24 is a date that mobilized the whole nation, including the young men, to not wait,” he said.
Another fellow fighter, Uran Luzha, said this event brings special emotions and memories each year from the early days of organization and mobilization.
“The anniversary of the Dukagjin Epic is always a memory that stays with us from the day it began. In the following days and months, we started mobilizing from the city of Gjakova. It is a festive feeling and a commemoration for those who fell and for us survivors and disabled… I cannot fully express it, but in general, since we are free, since we breathe Albanian, that is the goal we have achieved,” he said.
Zymer Islami, the brother of the fallen Xhavit Islami, buried in the memorial complex in Gllogjan, said that state institutions should have done more for the country.
He complained that even though the martyr raised children, no one ever offered him help.
“They have done what they could, but not as much as they should. They could have done more. Even now, 26 years after my brother was killed, no one has come to open the door for me, even though his son left behind a wife, a son, and a daughter. No one has ever come to ask how those children are living,” he said.
Today marks 28 years since the battle of the Kosovo Liberation Army in Gllogjan, known as the “Dukagjin Epic.”
On March 24, 1998, a frontal battle took place in Gllogjan between the KLA and Serbian forces, who had surrounded the town.
The target was believed to be the Haradinaj family home. On this day, martyrs Him Haradinaj, Gazmend, and Agron Mehmetaj fell.
