(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Veterans' organisations organised a solemn burial in Pristina for the nine men from Kosovo and one Macedonian Albanian killed in the fighting in Macedonia two weeks ago, calling them national heroes.
Former members and supporters of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, on Tuesday buried the men killed in clashes with the Macedonian police in the town of Kumanovo two weeks ago.
"We, the organisations that have come out of the war [in Kosovo] want to honour these men in the way they deserve, as veterans of the nation," Xhavit Jashari, head of the Association of Veterans' Families, said.
"They are heroes of Kosovo. They fought for the freedom of the occupied lands, and for their unification in one country, Albania," he continued.
Family members gathered in front of the caskets.
Veterans' associations last week announced that they wanted the Kosovo Defence Ministry to bury the nine Kosovars killed in Kumanovo on May 9 and 10 with full military honours.
After the Ministry spurned that idea, the veterans announced that they were going to do it on their own.
A public wake was organized on Tuesday at which thousands of people filed into the "1 Tetori" hall in Pristina, while young men dressed in KLA uniforms carried the caskets covered in Albanian flags.
"We invited the presidency, the parliament and the government. They are not coming, so the burial should remain on their consciences," said Jashari.
MPs from two opposition parties, the nationalist Vetevendosje and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, AAK, were present at the wake and the burial, although neither party's leader attended.
Merita Rexhaj, 32, sister of one of the nine killed, said her brother, Arben, had been a hero. "Glory to the heroes. We gave them to Kosovo and Kumanovo," said Merita, who was there with her other sisters and their parents.
Family members stood in front of the caskets, as people walked around the eight caskets covered in flags. In front of each casket, the children held up the photographs of their fathers or family members.
Another KLA fighter who spoke at the wake, Nusret Pllana, said the men died as part of a plan by Albanians to create a "natural Albania.
"For Albanians to join into their state, natural Albania, the blood of Albanians who fought for centuries is not enough, just like the blood of these ten men is not enough," Pllana said.
The caskets of Xhafer Zymberi, Mirsad Ndrecaj, Valon Kabashi, Turgaj Gashi, Samid Kastrioti, Hysen Rushiti, Fatlum Vishesella and Arben Rexhaj from Kosovo and Nysret Kaloshi from Skopje were then taken to and interred at the Martyrs Graveyard in Pristina.
Beg Rizaj, one of the Kosovars killed in Kumanovo, was buried earlier on Sunday in his hometown of Gllogjan near Decani in western Kosovo.
The bodies of those killed in the police raid in Kumanovo two weeks ago were identified and brought to Kosovo last Friday.
The men died in fighting in the Divo Naselje neighborhood of Kumanovo after police raided the town, apparently on a mission to prevent what they said was a "terrorist" attack.
The part of the town where the fighting took place was left devastated and its residents confused as to reasons for the attack and the police raid. Eight policemen were killed and many others injured.
Macedonian police said they raided Kumanovo to capture the same extremists who earlier attacked a police outpost close to the Kosovo border. A shadowy group on the internet took responsibility for both attacks.
The two-day shootout in Kumanovo resulted in eight Macedonian policemen being killed and around 37 being injured. Many homes in the area were heavily damaged.
The raid on Kumanovo came amid a tense political situation in Macedonia, where opposition leaders have organised large protests calling for an end to the government of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
As well as fighting in the KLA, some of the men killed in Kumanovo fought in the subsequent armed conflict in southern Serbia and also in Macedonia in 2001, as part of the ethnic Albanian guerrilla formation called the National Liberation Army.
The veterans' organisations said the men should have been honoured for their participation in the Kosovo war, as most of them had veteran and war invalid status in Kosovo.
Not everyone in Kosovo admires the actions of the men in Kumanovo, however. Political analyst Enver Robelli called the insistence on honouring them "shameful".
"A country that honours criminals does not have a bright future ahead of it," Robelli said, adding that some of those killed in Kumanovo had dealt in drugs, had been involved in racketeering or were drawn to radical islam.
He said it was also shameful for them to be buried next to genuine freedom fighters and the former president of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova.
The government has criticised attempts by groups from Kosovo to destabilise the situation in ethnically divided Macedonia, and has called for an independent international inquiry into the events in Kumanovo.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.