Today we went to the town of Prekaz to see the home of Adem Jashari, one of the KLA leaders who is often referred to as the "Hero of Kosovo". In 1998 he and his extended family members were attacked in their home by the Yugoslav National Army, where Adem and 52 others were killed. Today we met Murat Jashari, nephew to the infamous Adem, at the Jashari Compound where this all took place.
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| Murat Jashari taking us into the home. Large picture immortalises Adem Jashari. |
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| Walls of the Jashari home are riddled with bullets. |
Once inside we were served macchiatos, juice and sparkling water. Murat returned to Kosovo in 1999 from Germany where he had been living. He raised his children in Kosovo and said he doesn't often talk about the past with them because he believes Serbs and Albanians will be friends again one day and doesn't want his children to be raised with hatred. He gave a great talk about ending this hatred with his generation and looking forward to a brighter future for his kids. He has great respect for those that fought for Kosovo but said it's important to reinvent yourself and recognize the past is the past. He said that the best way to honor people who gave their life for Kosovo is to do well in the present.
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| Murat invites us in for macchiatos and conversation. |
The bodies of all the family members who were killed during the attack are buried behind the house in a beautiful memorial site. There is dark red marble paths that lead from the house where they were killed to their final resting place. Thousands of people come to pay respect to this site each year.
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| Jashari Family. |
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