The Assassination of Binbashi Halil Musa Bey of 1908 also known as the Assassination of the Binbash of Gjirokastër was an incident that occurred on 25 February 1908 in the town of

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...

Southern Albania Southern Albania () is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë and Vlorë. Combined, they have a population of 700,000 as of the 2023 census. The southwestern part of the c ...

when a group of 2 Albanian rebels that were a part of an armed Çetë led by

Çerçiz Topulli Çerçiz Topulli (20 September 1880 – 17 July 1915) was an Albanian revolutionary and guerrilla fighter involved in the Albanian national movement operating in the mountainous areas of southern Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topul ...

fired upon the Binbash of Gjirokastra and his guards as a part of an organized operation. The incident resulted in the death of the Ottoman governor and his guards.

Background

During the years of 1906–1907, an Albanian Çetë led by

, Mihal Grameno and

Bajo Topulli Bajo Topulli (1868 – 24 July 1930), born Bajram Fehmi Topulli, was an Albanian nationalist figure of the Albanian National Awakening. Bajo was the older brother of Çerçiz Topulli. Biography Bajo Topulli was a Muslim Tosk Albanian, sc ...

would organize many guerrilla attacks in

to oppose Ottoman rule in the area. By 1908 the fighting escalated, culminating in a "''larger-scale''" armed revolt. The Binbashi of

, Halil Musa Bey, an Ottoman Lieutenant Colonel of

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

k origin, was responsible for suppressing the local Albanian civil population, leading to him being one of the "''primary targets''" of the armed Albanian guerrillas which had attempted to assassinate him two times, however neither attempt was successful.

Assassination

On 25 February 1908, Halil Musa Bey, the binbashi of

, together with his guards were walking through the main street of Gjirokastër when at 11:15 they were stopped by 2 members of Çerçiz Topulli's Çetë, Hito Lekdushi and Bajram Ligu who had disguised themselves to blend into the crowd of Albanians in the town. The two rebels fired upon the governor, shooting him in the chest and head as well as killing some of the guards around him, leaving only one of the guards alive who was of Albanian ethnicity, only injuring him after shooting him in the hand. After the assassination the Albanian rebels began their escape from

however they were pursued by a large group of Ottoman guards which were fired upon by other rebels hidden in the roofs and alleyways of the town, forcing them to stop.

Aftermath

After the incident, 5 rebels that fled from

sought out refuge in the tower of Mashkullorë, which on 5 or 18 March 1908 was surrounded by an army consisting of 150-200 Ottoman soldiers. Despite being outnumbered, the Albanian rebels would resist the Ottoman attack.

References

Sources

* {{cite book, last=Skendi, first=Stavro, title=The Albanian national awakening, year=1967, location=Princeton, publisher=Princeton University Press, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8QPWCgAAQBAJ, isbn=9781400847761 February 1908 in Europe 1908 in the Ottoman Empire Albanian National Awakening Conflicts of the Albanian National Awakening Assassinations in the Ottoman Empire