Fadil Nimani

Fadil Nimani
Nickname(s)	Komandant Tigri (Commander Tiger)
Born	7 April 1967 Gjakova, SAP Kosovo, SFR Yugoslavia (now Kosovo)
Died	26 May 2001 (aged 34) Vaksince (close to Kumanovo), Macedonia
Allegiance	Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) (1998–99) National Liberation Army (NLA) (2001)
Years of service	1998–2001
Rank	Commander
Unit	"Rrufeja" battalion (KLA, Kosovo) 114 Brigade (NLA, Macedonia)
Commands held	"Dukagjin Zone" (KLA, Kosovo) Kumanovo area (NLA, Macedonia)
Wars and battles	Kosovo War (1998–99) Macedonian Conflict (2001) Battle of Vaksince  †

Fadil Nimani^[b] (7 April 1967 – 26 May 2001) was a Kosovar Albanian insurgent commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the Kosovo War (1998–99), and of the National Liberation Army (NLA) during the Macedonian Conflict (2001), in which the Albanian population sought independence of Albanian-inhabited areas in FR Yugoslavia and Republic of Macedonia, respectively. Born in Gjakova, Nimani went to local school and gymnasium, and by the start of the Kosovo War he joined the KLA and initially smuggled weapons from Albania, then became a commander in Metohija by the end of 1998. The Serbian Interior Ministry sought his arrest and he fled across into the Republic of Macedonia where he subsequently joined the NLA with the outbreak of the Macedonian conflict. He was appointed commander of the 114th Brigade of the NLA, active in the Kumanovo region, and had about 150 people under his command. He was killed by Macedonian special forces in an operation during the Macedonian Conflict, on 26 May 2001. A statue has been erected by ethnic Albanian politicians and former NLA fighters at Vaksince in his honour.

Life

Nimani was born on 7 April 1967, in the village of Grgoc, in the municipality of Gjakova, SAP Kosovo, SR Serbia, SFR Yugoslavia.^[1] He went to secondary school in his village, and gymnasium in the nearby village of Crmjane.^[1] An armed uprising led by Kosovo Albanian nationalists against Serbian rule erupted in the region in 1991,^[2] when an Albanian irredentist organization that came to be known as the Kosovo Liberation Army first emerged.^[3] At this time it is known that the organization underwent military training in Albania.^[4] Nimani had joined the Kosovo Liberation Army by 1998, and initially smuggled weapons from Albania at the beginning of the Kosovo War.^[1] In the end of 1998, he was appointed a commander in the "Dukagjin Zone" (Metohija, known as 'Dukagjini' in Albanian), and subsequently became the commander of the "Rrufeja" (Lightning) battalion.^[1] He received his nickname "Commander Tiger" (Komandant Tigri) during the Kosovo War. The Serbian Interior Ministry sought the arrest of Nimani after the war. He crossed into Macedonia through the Skopska Crna Gora.

Insurgency conflict areas.

Ali Ahmeti organized the NLA of former KLA fighters from Kosovo and Macedonia, Albanian insurgents from Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac in Serbia, young Albanian radicals and nationalists from Macedonia, and foreign mercenaries.^[5][6] During the Macedonian Conflict, which began in January 2001, Nimani was appointed the commander of the 114 Brigade of the NLA, active in Kumanovo, namely from Matejche to Nikushtak.^[7][8] The 111, 113 and 114 brigades operated in Skopska Crna Gora, while 112 operated in Tetovo, 115 around Skopje, and 116 in Gostivar.^[6] His armed group included around 150 people.^[9] He was also the commander of the "Skënderbeu" Special Unit.^[1] During the one-month-long battles in the Kumanovo region, the Macedonian security forces managed to recapture several villages that were NLA strongholds and clear them from the insurgents' presence. According to Macedonian official claims, security forces killed at least 30 NLA insurgents^[10][11] (NLA claims they lost 16); one of which was confirmed as Nimani (killed on 26 May 2001), who had been liquidated during the operation for the liberation of Vaksince which was occupied by the NLA.^[7][12] The 114th brigade was then commanded by Nazim Bushi, known as commander Adashi, and the brigade's number rose to about 1000 fighters.^[13]

Since his death, there is an anniversary in Vaksince in honour of him.^[14] On 17 March 2006, former fighters from the NLA organized a commemoration for Nimani and 16 other NLA guerrilla fighters that died during the battles for Vaksince, in the village of Matejche near Kumanovo.^[15] The commemoration sparked controversy due to a speech given by Macedonian Albanian politician and former NLA soldier Fazli Veliu, in which ethnic Macedonians were referred to as "Slavic-Macedonians", which is considered derogatory by the ethnic group. The commemoration was attended by German NATO soldiers.^[15] A statue has been erected at Vaksince in his honour.^[1]

Annotations

1. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has been recognised as an independent state by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.
2. ^ His name was Fadil Nimani (Albanian: Fadil Nimani; Macedonian and Serbian Cyrillic: Фадил Нимани), his given name is pronounced "Fadilj". His name was often mistakenly cited as Fadil Limani (Fadil Limani; Фадил Лимани).

References

1. Jashari 2011
2. Elsie 2011, p. 32.
3. Watson 2009, p. 193.
4. Judah 2002, p. 111.
5. Kolstø 2009, p. 173
6. Thomas 2006, p. 53
7. Lajm Maqedoni, 13 August 2010
8. Dnevnik. 18 март 2006: "Според изјавите на уапсениот Садула Мурати 113-та бригада броела околу 1.400 припадници кои делувале од селото Лојане до Матејче, додека од Матејче до Никуштак активности имала 114-та бригада "Фадил Нимани-Тигар", кој беше убиен во борбите во Кумановско."
9. Utrinski Vesnik 13.04.2007: „Во борбите со МБС, според оперативните сознанија, учествувале терористичките групи на командантите: Џавит Асани и Назми Сулејмани (околу 200-300 лица), специјална единица за брза интервенција, под команда на Назим Буши-Адаши, командант на 114. бригада Фадил Нимани-Тигар, која броела околу 150 лица, како и единицата на командант Тели - Лефтер Коџај од Албанија“.
10. "Macedonian army 'kills 30 rebels'". BBC World. 12 May 2001
11. "Rebels killed in Macedonia". CNN World. 13 May 2001
12. Вест. 28 May 2001
13. http://ictytranscripts.dyndns.org/trials/boskoski_tarculovski/070925ED.htm
14. http://www.slobodan-milosevic.org/news/md062404.htm
15. Дневник. 18 March 2006

Sources

• Elsie, Robert (2011). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-7483-1.
• Judah, Tim (2002). Kosovo: War and Revenge. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09725-2.
• Watson, Paul (2009). Where War Lives. Toronto: McCleland & Stewart. ISBN 978-1-55199-284-6.
• Thomas, Nigel (2006). The Yugoslav Wars (2): Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia 1992 - 2001. Osprey Publishing.
• Pål Kolstø (2009). Media Discourse and the Yugoslav Conflicts: Representations of Self and Other. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 0754676293. ISBN 9780754676294.
• "Komandantët e UÇK-së, disa të vrarë, disa në arrati, shumica në poste" (in Albanian). Lajm Maqedoni. 13 August 2010.
• Николиќ, С. (28 May 2001). "Убиен Фадил Лимани, командант на терористите за Куманово" (in Macedonian). Вест.
• З., Е. (18 March 2006). "Командантите на ОНА ја славеа 'победата против Славомакедонците" (in Macedonian). Дневник.
• "Судењето на Бошкоски и на Тарчуловски ќе ја открие вистината за Љуботен" (in Macedonian). Utrinski Vesnik. 2007-04-13.
• "За ОНА се бореле 150 муџахедини". Број 1671 сабота (in Macedonian). Dnevnik. 18 March 2006.
• Jashari, Zimer (2011-05-25). "Homazhe për dëshmorin e kombit komandant Tigri" (in Albanian). Iliria News Agency.