In the Kingdom of Death (War Chronicle/Diaries) – Part 3

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In the Kingdom of Death

Fehmi Ajvazi, an eminent author from Kosovo, has shared his book ‘In the Kingdom of Death’ published in Albanian in 2012 in Pristina, and in Romanian in 2019, and was translated from Albanian to English. Sindh Courier is starting its episodes for the readers

Fehmi Ajvazi- writer-Kosovo
Fehmi Ajvazi author
[In March 1999, the Serbian regime blanketed Kosovo with a contingent of 120,000 regular police, military, and civilian paramilitary forces. Just about two weeks before NATO’s intervention in Kosovo began, the region was surrounded on all sides, while pockets of the interior (villages and towns) were hit with arrests, liquidations, and massacres. Kosovo became a reservation. A kingdom called the “Kingdom of Death” established authority everywhere! However, some areas were controlled by insurgent liberation forces, and in some places, Serbian forces couldn’t penetrate. Well, the hatred between Serbs and Albanians was the same, but the bullets were the same too: they brought death to everyone, and it was no problem for the “bullet” whether the target was Albanian or Serbian. I mean, the forces of the Kosovo Liberation Army held some territory and kept it free! But about ten days before NATO planes launched their attack in their battle for Kosovo, Albanian insurgents managed to have the world’s most powerful force as their ally: the NATO alliance. However, no one had managed to master a pact with death.
Well, the hatred between Serbs and Albanians was the same, but the bullets were the same too: they brought death to everyone, and it was no problem for the “bullet” whether the target was Albanian or Serbian.
Just a few days before March 24th, the “Lady of Death” was the ruler of Kosovo, in reality, she was the ruler of the Albanian citizens of this extremely small territory! And for the third time in history, the state of Serbia wanted nothing more and nothing less than: the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo. Over 1 million residents before March 24, 1999, challenged “this kingdom” by saying, “Here we are, your power is not the power of God!” I had decided to stay, not to leave. I was a journalist, but also a creator. And so, I had no idea what dilemmas lay in this direction, despite the open threats from the Serbs, and I knew well that they would try to wash their hands of us like Pontius Pilate! Regardless of every situation and circumstance, I sacrificed to be a witness to a time and a history without parallel! Yes, a witness…! And everything I have said and written about literary-historical conditions is in this book – a testimony. Therefore, this book is a source and my personal experience of a time I pray will never be repeated – anywhere. Just as I pray for the souls of those who did not come out alive in this “kingdom of death” in the third millennium! Read the truth about Kosovo…  Author]

Throughout March, the “Kosovo Crisis” reached its peak of intensity. Five to six days before the onset of bombings, the streets of villages and towns in Kosovo (primarily in areas where the units of the KLA were not positioned) became filled with paramilitary forces, armed police, military hardware, and so on. Kosovo became inundated with military units, reservists, armed civilians, and more. Despite numerous international appeals, pleas, meetings, diplomatic notes, threats, and the military encirclement by NATO, Belgrade remained unyielding. In reality, Serbia had decided not to surrender. By refusing to succumb to these significant international pressures, Belgrade pursued the ultimate goal of the path it had embarked on for several years and decades: the depopulation and Serbianization of Kosovo. Meanwhile, in the lead-up to March 24th, along with the arrival of NATO aircraft loaded with bombs and missiles over Serbia (in the media, in scientific institutions, in government institutions, in squares, in cities, in villages, in construction sites, in sports stadiums, in schools, in universities, in healthcare facilities, in religious institutions, police stations, military installations, etc.), the drumbeat of hatred and threats echoed, whether against Albanians or against the international community, in short, against NATO. Consequently, every Serb was physically and mentally preparing to confront the West and NATO. Serbia itself was gearing up with all means to ascend to the Plateau, meaning to move into Kosovo, via two routes: the Iber River Valley and the Morava River Valley.

Ibar-River-Rozaje-Montengro
Iber-River Valley – Photo courtesy: Britannica

Every Serb was becoming ready to kill, at the very least, one Albanian and, if possible, a Westerner. In these insane spheres of Serbian extremism, the State Television of Serbia (the propaganda institution of Greater Serbian nationalism) would daily broadcast the most extreme anti-Albanian and anti-Western opinions in order to fuel the fire. Dictator Milosevic himself openly stated three days before the commencement of bombings that, “We will not give up Kosovo at any cost!” The leader of the deranged Serbian paramilitaries, Vojislav Seselj, on the eve of the March 24th bombings, during a gathering at the “Centar Sava” in Belgrade, bluntly declared: “If they bomb us from the sky, let them bomb us, but there will be no more Albanians in Kosovo.” Serbia had already initiated the march of occupation. Therefore, it was ready to commence genocide in Kosovo.

American analyst Janusz Bugajski (knowledgeable about the Albanian and Balkan reality) had earlier signaled something like this: “…what may happen in Kosovo will be much more dangerous and barbaric compared to what happened in Croatia and Bosnia.” It was already known that as long as Serbia was targeted by NATO, Albanians would suffer four to five times more and more horrifically at the hands of Serbia. Thus, the “Serbian strike” would be unpredictable, it would simply be a genocidal blow. Regarding the core criminal-fascist nature of the Serbian state, our great writer, Ismail Kadare, observes: “Vaccination of criminals has consistently been accompanied by a mockery of civilization. It’s a familiar mockery of bandits when they have their knives in their hands. This mockery is meant to provide them with spiritual nourishment, ecstasy, and the courage to go further. It has been evident in their murderous statements; it was openly apparent in the Paris talks when, behind their shocking behavior, it was clear what they intended to do. Serbia possesses all the qualities of totalitarianism, plus one thing that classical dictatorships, whether Hitler’s or Stalin’s, did not know: anarchy in crime.”

In light of everything that was happening and expected to happen in Kosovo, the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, among other things, assessed: “We are dealing with the forces of integration and disintegration, with the forces of globalization and tribalism.”

The Last Journey

Before March 24th, seven to eight days prior, I told my wife to prepare “quietly,” and we headed to the village (in Zhegër, about 60 kilometers away from Pristina) to visit the extended family, some close relatives, the village, and the beautiful landscape of Karadak. Because, it was uncertain.

– We’re going because, who knows, I told Shpresa, while she was packing our bags for the journey and the necessary items for Etnik.

– Don’t jinx it, she replied. I had this trip to the extended family in the village deeply in my mind, and it could have been our last trip before NATO intervention. I wasn’t “jinxing it,” but I was convinced that the great Serbian evil had been unleashed, and only NATO could prevent it. Therefore, bombings were needed, which already seemed clear that they were coming, to stop Serbia. The price of this “halt” could not be known. My journey to the village was not a mere farewell trip with my mother, father, sisters, and the extensive family living there. I was entirely certain that we were going for a “silent farewell,” for one last “goodbye.” So, even though I had no intention of causing concern with my “extraordinary” visit (people were already quite concerned), my mind told me that they too would understand that, finally, something extraordinary, like never before, was imminent. Well, the signs and messages were everywhere. I believed that I also needed to convey some “messages” to them in the village, carefully. Messages of silence, of mixtures.

Read: Tonight You Are My Poetry Myself – Poetry from Kosovo

– I’m not jinxing it, I told my wife. It’s bad as it is, and it can’t get any worse. I didn’t want to prolong the conversation because I didn’t want my wife to feel more upset than she already was. Shpresa didn’t press the matter further. We got ready and set off. We traveled well, without any particular problems. Etnik slept the entire way to the village. We spent about three days there. The situation was worsening day by day, not to mention hour by hour. Everyone, without a doubt, was preoccupied with the state of affairs, with repression and military-police violence, with various (overt and covert) administrative looting, with the omnipresent checkpoints, with police posts set up on roads and pathways in villages and towns like mushrooms after the rain, and above all, with the question of whether NATO would intervene. This “intervention” was the ultimate question. (Continues)

Click here for Part-1, Part-2

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Read: I’m not begging you – Poetry by Flora Peci, an eminent poet and prose writer from Kosovo

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