Agim Avdi Shala (September 18, 1975 – September 3, 1998) was a

Kosovo Albanian The Albanians of Kosovo (, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars (), constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the ethnic Albanian sub-group of Ghegs, who inhabit the north of ...

commander that fought in the

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 ...

(KLA). The goal of the KLA was the independence of

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 ...

from

FR Yugoslavia The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...

. Agim Shala was killed in action during the second Battle of Vërrin.

Early years

Shala was born on September 18, 1975, in the village of Jeshkove,

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

, to an ethnic

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

family which belonged to the

Shala Shala (Šala) was a Mesopotamian goddess of weather and grain and the wife of the weather god Adad. It is assumed that she originated in northern Mesopotamia and that her name might have Hurrian origin. She was worshiped especially in Karka ...

tribe. He finished primary school in

Hoçë e Qytetit Hoçë e Qytetit (, ) is a village in Prizren municipality, Kosovo. References Villages in Prizren {{Kosovo-geo-stub ...

. Agim Shala started high school in

, at the "Gani Çavdërbasha" Technical School and construction branch. Yugoslav authorities began prosecuting Albanian activists, which led to the Shala family’s wealth to decline. This forced Agim to stop the lessons and take the path of

Albanian nationalism Albanian nationalism is a general grouping of nationalism, nationalist ideas and concepts generated by ethnic Albanians that were first formed in the 19th century during the Albanian National Awakening (). Albanian nationalism is also associated w ...

. In 1993, Agim Shala left Jeshkova. To escape the arrests, and to earn money, he settled in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, together with Naser Berisha.

Mobilization

When Agim Shala heard about the

Attack on Prekaz The Attack on Prekaz, also known as the Prekaz massacre, was an operation led by the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit of Serbia which lasted from 5 to 7 March 1998, whose goal was to eliminate Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) suspects and their famil ...

, together with many activists, he reconnected with his uncle Selim and his friends from Prizren and on May 6 of 1998, he was placed in the Regional Operative Headquarters for Prizren in Jeshkovë, to help Remzi Ademaj, Xhevat Berisha, Ismajl Kryeziu, and Ekrem Rexha. With the formation of the Special Unit for Rapid Interventions, near the Vërrin Headquarters, Agim Shala was placed in charge of the special unit “Djemte e Verrinit”, in the logistics sector. Agim was ambushed twice, but crossed the border more than 30 times without any wounds. On July 7, he fought in the attack on Billushe, and defeated the Yugoslav troops there. Again on July 16 he fought in the Battle of Tusus and Hoçë e Qytetit, where he defeated the Yugoslav troops once again. After these victories, Agim helps in logistics in breaking the border with quick navigation. On September 1, 1998, several KLA commanders were killed amidst fighting in Smolica, Anadrin and Vërrin. On September 3, Agim Avdi Shala fell in bloody battles, after dressing the wounds of fellow soldier Besim Ryshen Shala. After the Battle of Vërrin, the battles on the flanks: Gremnik, Çupevë, Valljakë, Sverkë, Rudë, Panorc, Dush, Zatriq and up to Palluzhë of Anadrin, the battles on the Cermjan front; the defensive arc on the line Negroc - Kamaran - Drenas in Shkabaj, Čikatovo, Dobrashevc and up to Skenderaj, the battles in Nerodime, Košare, Drenjak and Balaj, those in Bjeshke and Gjeravica, the battles in Ashlan and in the mountains Qyqavica and Budakovo, proved to be the golden links of the KLA's success in August and September of 1998.

Legacy

In 2023, a statue of Agim Shala was built in front of the

municipality.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shala, Agim 1975 births 1998 deaths Kosovo Albanians Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers People from Prizren