Maqedonci: I easily decided to join the KLA, at first we secretly prepared in Albania

Kosovo’s Minister of Defense Ejup Maqedonci, marking the 18th anniversary of the declaration of independence, stated that the decision to join the KLA was easy for him because, as he said, he was convinced that “only armed struggle was the means that would liberate Kosovo.” He also said that the preparations were initially carried out secretly in Albania, Koha reported.

Maqedonci said that he returned to Kosovo in March 1998.

At the beginning, as he noted, the preparations were conducted in Albania, in secret.

“The decision was truly easy for me because I was convinced that only a liberation armed struggle was the means that would free Kosovo. Despite all political engagements since 1990, the liberation struggle was the last means for our people to achieve freedom,” Maqedonci said, as reported by Koha.

He recounted that the greatest challenge during those months was informing his family about his involvement in the war.

“A phone call to Switzerland would have endangered the family. Only after a month of staying in Pristina did I inform my family. From March 18 until the end of April, they did not know where I was,” Maqedonci said.

For him, the most emotional moment was entering the territory of Kosovo from Albania.

During the war, Maqedonci was the commander of a battalion in the Lab operational zone, near Podujevo.

Speaking about the post-war period, he said that all transitions were challenging, including the transition from the KLA to the Kosovo Security Force.

Today, he says, the KSF is a “professional army and an example for the region.”

“From security importers we have become security exporters,” Maqedonci said, emphasizing that Kosovo is building its army according to NATO standards.