Besnik Lajçi (24 August 1971 – 19 April 1999) was an Albanian and

Kosovo Liberation Army The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA; , UÇK) was an Albanians, ethnic Albanian separatist militia that sought the separation of Kosovo, the vast majority of which is inhabited by Albanians, from the Republic of Serbia (1992–2006), Republic of R ...

fighter from the Rugova region of

Peja Peja or Peć, ), is the fifth most populous city in Kosovo and serves as the seat of the Peja Municipality and the District of Peja. It is located in the Rugova region on the eastern section of the Accursed Mountains along the Peja's Lumbar ...

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

. He was one of the main generals of the 163rd "Rugova" brigade which fought in the

Kosovo War The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...

Life

Besnik Lajçi was born on 24 August 1971 in

to his parents Musë and Rabe Lajçi. He completed his early education in the "8 marsi" school in

and completed highschool in "Bedri Pejani" Highschool. He completed his university studies for Philosophy and Albanian literature in the

University of Pristina The University of Pristina () is a public university located in Pristina, Kosovo. It is the institution that emerged after the disestablishment of the University of Pristina (1969–1999) as a result of the Kosovo War. The inauguration ...

. He was one of the first KLA fighters in the Rugova region, together with Salih and Selman Lajçi. Together they formed the "Shtabi Rajonal of Rugova" in 1997. Besnik Lajçi was a lead figure in the KLA's weapon smuggling. He also had a big role in the creation of the 163rd "Rugova" brigade, after which he became a general of Rugova's scouting unit.

Death

On 19 April Yugoslav forces reached Besnik Lajçi's position and injured him. Upon his injury, taking advantage of the gunfire of his fellow troops Salih Lajçi and Imer Nikçi, he charged at Yugoslav forces going in-between their lines killing dozens of soldiers before falling to his injuries. Upon seeing this, the Yugoslav forces retreated from

Hajla Hajla ( or ''Hajla''; sr-Cyrl, Хајла) is a mountain located between the borders of Kosovo and Montenegro. It has several peaks that reach over , the tallest with a hight of . The northern slopes contains the spring formation of the Ibar ri ...

Legacy

Besnik Lajçi's sacrifice and leadership ultimately led him to winning the " Hero of Kosovo" award, which he would receive from

Hashim Thaçi Hashim Thaçi (; born 24 April 1968) is a Kosovo Albanian politician who was the president of Kosovo from April 2016 until his resignation on 5 November 2020. He was the first prime minister of Kosovo and the Foreign minister and deputy pri ...

who was president at the time. He was also decorated with the "Honour of the nation" award by the Albanian president at the time

Ilir Meta Ilir Rexhep Meta (; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian former politician who served as President of Albania from 2017 to 2022. Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and he was Speaker of the Parliament of Albania from 2013 ...

References

{{Reflist Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers People from the District of Peja People from Peja Military personnel from Peja Kosovan people of Albanian descent 1971 births 1999 deaths