It was still dark when the morning of January 22, 1998, was shattered by gunfire in Prekaz. Serbian special units, organized and heavily armed, approached the Jashari family home from two directions—from the road and through the fields—with a single goal: to eliminate the family without leaving any trace. This was the second attack on the Jasharis, more than six years after the first attempt.
The guide of the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz, Ilmi Halimi, told KosovaPress what happened on the morning of January 22, 1998.
He said that the legendary commander Adem Jashari was not at home on the day of the attack, but the Jashari family nevertheless resisted and defended themselves.
“The attack that took place on January 22, 1998, against the Jashari family was the second attack on this family, more than six years after the first attack, which occurred on December 30, 1991. At that time, Serbian forces with special units tried to eliminate the Jashari family without drawing much attention. However, even though Adem Jashari himself was not at home and only the other family members were present, the Jashari family managed to defend themselves, their family, and at the same time showed resistance not only for their family and for Prekaz, but for the entire Albanian people,” he said.
The attack on the Jashari family, which began at 5 a.m., was resisted on one side by Shaban Jashari together with his nephews, who defended the lower part of the house, while Hamza Jashari, together with the women and girls of the family, defended the other part.
For about half an hour, the house turned into a stronghold of resistance, making it impossible for Serbian forces to enter.
“The attack happened sometime after 5 a.m., early in the morning, when Serbian special units came out from the ammunition factory and attacked the family from two directions: from the road and from the upper fields. They believed that by attacking from both sides they could enter the house and eliminate them. However, the family defended itself because they noticed them earlier. Uncle Shaban, Adem Jashari’s father, together with his nephews, fought and defended the lower part from the men’s room. Meanwhile, Hamza, Adem Jashari’s brother, together with the women and girls of the family, fought and defended the other part of the house. The battle lasted about half an hour. The Serbian forces began to face difficulties outside as well, and since the resistance of the family was very strong, they realized it was impossible to enter and withdrew. As a result of this battle, two girls were wounded and some animals belonging to the family were killed. Fortunately, there were no human casualties, and the Serbian forces failed,” Halimi stated.
In the second attack by Serbian forces against the Jashari family in January 1998, two girls from the family were wounded: Selvetja, who later fell during the third attack, and Iliriana, who was not at home during the attacks of March 5, 6, and 7 and survived.
“The girls who were wounded in the family were Iliriana, Rifati’s daughter, and Selvetja, Hamza’s daughter, who unfortunately fell as a martyr in the third attack that occurred on March 5, 6, and 7 of the same year, 1998. Iliriana, fortunately, was not here at the house during the third attack—she was at her uncle’s home—and she is alive today,” the guide said.
The guide of the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex in Prekaz, Ilmi Halimi, said that this memorial complex remains a reference point for younger generations and for numerous visitors, with tens of thousands of people visiting it every month, especially during the summer and on important national dates.
According to indicative data, during 2025 alone, the “Adem Jashari” Memorial Complex was visited by more than half a million citizens.
“Visits here never stop. We thank everyone who visits us. Every day we have visitors—sometimes more, sometimes fewer—depending on the time and circumstances. But the periods with the highest number of visitors, apart from important dates, are the summer months, especially July and August, when the number exceeds 100,000 visitors per month. We also have other days, such as February, which is the month of independence, when many people come. In addition to other visitors, various schools also come, as a kind of preparation related to education. According to the statistics we were able to extract, although it is almost impossible to know the exact number, there were around 582,000 visitors in 2025,” he emphasized.
The third and final attack against the Jashari family took place on March 5, 6, and 7, 1998. It lasted three days and resulted in the killing of 58 members of the Jashari family, including the legendary commander Adem Jashari, his brother Hamza Jashari, their father Shaban Jashari, as well as women, children, and elderly family members.
The only survivor of the family was Besarta Jashari, Hamza’s daughter, who was a minor at the time.
