Naim Beka (5 September 1966 – 25 October 1999) was a rewonwed commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army and Logistics Commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps, who was killed under suspicious circumstances after the Kosovo War.[1][2]
Naim Beka | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Komandant Sokoli |
| Born | 5 September 1966 Pleshinë, Ferizaj, SFR Yugoslavia (today Kosovo) |
| Died | 25 October 1999 (aged 33) Doganaj, Kaçanik, Kosovo |
| Allegiance |  Kosovo Liberation Army Kosovo Protection Corps |
| Years of service | 1998-1999 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Battles / wars | Kosovo War |
| Awards | Hero of Kosovo |
Early life
editNaim Beka was born on September 5, 1966, in the village of Pleshinë, located in the Ferizaj municipality of Kosovo. He completed his primary education in his hometown of Pleshinë and later attended technical high school in Ferizaj. During the 1980s, he was a member a Wrestling Club in Ferizaj and achieved notable success, earning both national gold and silver medals as a first-category wrestler.[1]
In 1992, Naim married Zejnepe Reka. Together, they had two children, Amira and Advani. His early exposure to political unrest came at the age of 15 when, as a high school student, he participated in the mass demonstrations in Ferizaj in April 1981. These protests were aimed at resisting the social injustices, poverty, and systematic oppression imposed on Albanians by the Yugoslav regime.[3][4][5][6][7]
Military career
editInvolvement in the Kosovo Liberation Army
editIn May 1998, he traveled to his hometown, where he met KLA commanders Shukri Buja and Imri Ilazi at his uncles house. During this meeting, Naim was officially accepted into the ranks of the KLA in the Nerodime Operational Zone. Alongside his uncle and other comrades, he assisted in recruiting and organizing individuals who were ready to join the KLA.[1]
Upon receiving orders from the Command of the Nerodime Zone, Naim was stationed in the remote village of Jezerc, where he joined other KLA fighters. Throughout the Serbian offensives during the summer and fall of 1998, Naim was consistently present on the frontlines. As a member of the special unit within the Nerodime Operational Zone, he took part in several operations, where significant Serbian police forces were ambushed at a location known as "Kodra e Buqes" near the village of Nerodime. He also participated in the defense of the bodies of the Reçak Massacre victims in early January 1999.[8]
One of his notable engagements was in the battle at the village of Slivovë in Ferizaj, where his comrades Driton Islami (Toni) and Sadik Bega (Murtaja) were killed. After the end of the War in June 1999, the KLA was transformed into the Kosovo Protection Corps, and Naim Beka was appointed as the logistics commander of the KPC.[1]
Death
editOn October 25, 1999, Naim Beka, along with fellow soldiers Agim Matoshi and Avni Shehu, was killed in an explosion near the village Doganaj, near Kaçanik. The event occurred a few months after the conclusion of the Kosovo War, during a raid operation. The soldiers had entered the house rigged with explosives, unaware of the danger, leading to their deaths. Three other individuals were severely injured in the explosion.[9]
The exact circumstances surrounding the incident have not been fully investigated. While the event has been commemorated as part of their service, with the fallen being described as having "died in the line of duty" the nature of the mission remains unclear, as it occurred months after active hostilities had ceased.[9]
His death and the following serial assassinations and suspicious deaths of former key-figures of the KLA, like Besim Mala or Tahir Zemaj after the Kosovo War, remain an unsolved enigma in the early history of Kosovo under International Administration.[10]
Legacy
editNaim Beka's family has been honored with numerous awards and recognitions from various institutions, including the Ministry of Defense of the Provisional Government of Kosovo, the Nerodime Operational Zone or the municipality of Ferizaj. In 2017, the president of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, decorated 108 fallen soldiers of the KLA and other personalities with the order “Hero of Kosovo”, among the 108 decorated were Naim Beka and Driton Islami.[11]
On the 44th anniversary of Naim Beka's birth, a statue in his honor was unveiled in a prominent area of Ferizaj.[12] The event was attended by a large number of citizens from Ferizaj and neighboring cities. Beka's legacy continues to be remembered as a symbol of the fight for Kosovo's independence and the pursuit of justice.[13][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Naim Sherif Beka (5.9.1966 – 25.10.1999)". Radio Kosova e Lirë (in Albanian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Përkujtohen dëshmorët e kombit, Naim Beka dhe Agim Matoshi". epokaere. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ Perica, Vjekoslav (2002). Balkan idols: Religion and nationalism in Yugoslav states. Oxford University Press. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0-19-517429-8.
- ^ Clark, Howard (2000). Civil resistance in Kosovo. Pluto Press. p. 16. ISBN 9780745315690.
- ^ Mulaj, Klejda (2008). Politics of ethnic cleansing: nation-state building and provision of in/security in twentieth-century Balkans. Lexington Books. p. 45. ISBN 9780739146675.
- ^ Petersen, Roger D. (2011). Western intervention in the Balkans: The strategic use of emotion in conflict. Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 9781139503303.
- ^ Qirezi, Arben (2017). "Settling the self-determination dispute in Kosovo". In Mehmeti, Leandrit I.; Radeljić, Branislav (eds.). Kosovo and Serbia: Contested Options and Shared Consequences. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 50. ISBN 9780822981572.
- ^ "Shtatorja e Dëshmorit Naim Beka - Ferizaj". amkmk.rks-gov (in Albanian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Si u vranë me eksploziv tre ushtarë të UÇK-së nga Kaçaniku". Bota Sot (in Albanian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Kosovo: Murder of Former UCK Commander Raises Questions". Reuters. 5 May 2000. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
- ^ "President Thaçi awarded over 100 personalities with the order "Hero of Kosovo"". Office of the President of Kosovo. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Zbulohet shtatorja e komandantit të UÇK-së Naim Beka-Sokoli". kk.rks-gov (in Albanian). Retrieved 26 September 2024.
- ^ "Vizitohen familjet e Dëshmorëve të kombit Hyrë Emini, Naim Beka, Driton Islami dhe Sadik Bega të cilët u dekoruan me urdhrin "Hero i Kosovës"". ferizajpress. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2024.