On the 27th anniversary of the battle that would go down in history, in Koshare, the former commander of the Topi Battalion, Feriz Trezhnjeva, still keeps fresh the memory of his last meeting with the hero Agim Ramadani.
With emotion even after so many years, he recounts to KosovaPress the moment when Commander Katana gave him a topographic compass, as a medal of honor and gratitude.
27 years later, now speaking from the memorial complex in Koshare where the 114 martyrs of this battle are buried, the former commander of the anti-armor battalion estimates that the Battle of Koshare remains one of the most glorious in Albanian history.
According to him, it was a genuine military operation, planned and led by professionals from all fields, from infantry and artillery, to logistics and medicine.
Recalling his role as commander of a 75 and 82 mm gun unit, the veteran explains his motivation for joining the war, even though he came from Albania.
Trezhnjeva recalls how his arrival in Kosovo to join the ranks of the KLA was greeted with extraordinary joy by the commanders of Brigade 138, especially Agim Ramadani.
The most dramatic and moving moment in his story is related to the night of April 8, 1999, shortly before the attack to breach the border began. After receiving the final combat order, the commanders greeted each other, aware of the danger that awaited them.
And that same night, the commander of Brigade 138, Agim Ramadani, honored Trezhnjeva with a gift as a sign of gratitude for his contribution to the Kosovo war.
"We took on the tasks and responsibilities, because we had prepared the operational plan, how each unit command would conduct its combat operation, where it would hit the targets, how far it would penetrate, so we had done everything in the operational plan. That's where we received the final combat order. I remember, it was a very dramatic occasion when we all greeted each other so that we could move with our units through the areas of the territory of Koshare.... After I wanted to leave, he addressed me: "Commander Trezhnjeva" and I addressed him. He said 'I have a gift for you' And he took that topographical compass and placed it around my neck like a medal, which I will never forget, and he expressed it to me in this way: "For the contribution and help you are giving us, this is a gift from me. I don't know when we will see each other again." "This was Agim Ramadani's last word. And I shed tears, of course, it was emotional and we hugged once again. Then on April 9, we communicated six times with Agim by radio, regarding the coordination of fire, regarding combat actions, so that all of us would be coordinated for the attack of the Battle of Koshara," he says.
And 27 years later, the former commander of the Topi Battalion, Feriz Trezhnjeva, says that the fall of Commander Katana on April 11, 1999 was a heavy blow, but it did not break the morale of the soldiers.
The Battle of Koshare is the most heroic battle of the Kosovo Liberation Army's war, as the fighters managed to break the Kosovo-Albania border that had been established a hundred years earlier. This battle, which began on April 9, 1999, ended on June 10, 1999. 114 fighters, including the commander of Brigade 138, Agim Ramadani, fell martyrs on the altar of freedom, while 380 other soldiers were wounded./KP
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