Kosovo Liberation Army : The Inside Story of an Insurgency

262 Pages·2008·2.59 MB·English

by  Henry H. Perritt Jr.

P
eastern european history / political science E KOSOVO
R
R
I
T
T
LIBERATION
the strategies of recruitment, training, and fi nanc-
K
ing that made the KLA one of the most success- “There is no one else capable of writing a book about any
o
ARMY
ful insurgencies of the post–Cold War era. This
modern insurgency that would combine this kind of in-
s
volume also tells the personal stories of young Kosovo
sider’s knowledge with such an acute appreciation for
o the inside story
people who took up guns in response to repeated
all the external factors surrounding the struggle.” v Liberation
humiliation by “foreign occupiers,” as they per-
ceived the Serb police and intelligence personnel. —Andrew Baruch Wachtel,dean of the Graduate School o of an insurgency Army
and director of the Roberta Buffett Center for International
Perritt illuminates the factors that led to the KLA’s
and Comparative Studies, Northwestern University L
success, including its convergence with political i the inside story
developments in eastern Europe, its campaign for b of an insurgency
popular support both at home and abroad, and e
“Henry H. Perritt Jr. has written an impressive and com-
r Henry H. Perritt Jr.
its participation in international negotiations and
prehensive study of the personalities, strategy, and tactics
a
a peace settlement that helped pave the long road
of the Kosovo Liberation Army. His book is sure to be the
from war to peace. t T he military intervention by NATO in Kosovo
defi nitive source on the KLA and its role for researchers i
was portrayed in American media as a neces-
o
and policy makers.”
sary step to prevent the Serbian armed forces
n
—Michael Peters, President, St. John’s College, Santa Fe from repeating the ethnic cleansing that had so

A deeply damaged the former Yugoslavia. Serbia
Henry H. Perritt Jr. is a professor of law and r trained its military on Kosovo because of an on-
director of the graduate program in fi nancial m going armed struggle by ethnic Albanians to wrest
independence from Serbia. Warfare in the Balkans
services law at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
y
seemed to threaten the stability of Europe, as well
He is the author of numerous law review articles
as the peace and security of Kosovars, and yet
and books on international relations and law,
university of illinois press ot
technology and law, and employment law. f he armed resistance seemed to offer the only pos-
Urbana and Chicago an i sibility of future stability. Leading the struggle
n

www.press.uillinois.edu insi against Serbia was the Kosovo Liberation Army,
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ue
rg s also known as the KLA.
eto
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ISBN 978-0-252-03342-1 the KLA and describes its activities up to and in-
Jacket photo: A KLA memorial in the Sharr region
cluding the NATO intervention. Henry H. Perritt
of Kosovo. Photo by author.
Jr. offers fi rsthand insight into the motives and
Design by Dennis Roberts
organization of a popular insurgency, detailing
I
L
L
I
N
O
IS Henry H. Perritt Jr.
kosovo
liberation army
i-xiv_1-232_Perr.indd 1 6/4/08 1:50:05 PM
i-xiv_1-232_Perr.indd 2 6/4/08 1:50:05 PM
henry h. perritt jr.
Kosovo
Liberation Army
the inside story
of an insurgency
university of illinois press
urbana and chicago
i-xiv_1-232_Perr.indd 3 6/4/08 1:50:05 PM
© 2008 by the Board of Trustees
of the University of Illinois
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
c 5 4 3 2 1
∞ This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Perritt, Henry H.
Kosovo Liberation Army : the inside story of an insurgency /
Henry H. Perritt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13 978-0-252-03342-1 (cloth : alk. paper)
isbn-10 0-252-03342-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1998–1999. 2. Kosovo
(Serbia)—History—Autonomy and independence movements.
3. Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosovks. 4. Kosovo (Serbia)—Politics
and government—1980–5. Albanians—Serbia—Kosovo.
6. Kosovo (Serbia)—History—Civil War, 1998–1999—
Personal narratives, Albanian.
I. Title.
dr2087.p46 2008
949.703—dc22 2007046798
i-xiv_1-232_Perr.indd 4 6/4/08 1:50:06 PM
To the young fighters and
leaders of the KLA,
for whom courage
replaced humiliation
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i-xiv_1-232_Perr.indd 6 6/4/08 1:50:06 PM
Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1. Faces of the KLA and Its Kosovar Antagonists 13
2. Building and Maintaining Public Support 25
3. Recruiting Fighters and Commanders 36
4. Avoiding Annihilation, Taking Advantage
of Milosevic 46
5. The KLA at War 61
6. Financing 88
7. Training 100
8. Supplying 110
9. Shaping International Reaction 130
10. Postwar Politics: The KLA at the Ballot Box 152
11. The KLA in the Dock 167
12. Conclusion 181
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Acronyms and Organization Names 185
Roster of Key Individuals 189
Notes 195
Bibliography 207
Index 211
Illustrations follow page 60
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Acknowledgments
This book started with a conversation with Fahri Rama, then
a waiter at the Hotel Victory in Prishtina. Fahri was twenty-two at the
time, handsome, graceful, and shy. My friend Alban Rafuna, also a waiter
in the hotel, introduced me to Fahri, telling me that Fahri has been a KLA
soldier. What ensued was a riveting hour-long conversation about how
this timid, apparently soft kid had decided to risk his life by taking up
an AK-47. Repeatedly humiliated by the Serb police, he had decided he
did not care whether he got killed, as long as he could fight for dignity
and the independence of his people. Before the evening was done, he had
given me a KLA shoulder patch, which he extracted from his wallet, and
Commander Remi’s book, which he retrieved surreptitiously from the
trunk of his car.
Intrigued by Fahri’s story, I met with Ramush Haradinaj on the same
trip—in March 2004. “What do you think about a book on the KLA?”
I asked. “Great idea!” he said. “Do you think it is too soon?” “No. It’s
exactly the right time.” He was emphatic that I should write it, and I,
never shy intellectually and welcoming new challenges, said I would.
Before long, Hashim Thaçi and Commander Remi also expressed en-
thusiastic encouragement and support, and we were off and running.
Hashim Thaçi, Ramush Haradinaj, and Commander Remi have become
important friends to me. All three were consistently generous with their
time, open in disclosing information, and invaluable in arranging inter-
views with others.
Valon Murati, Ajet Potera, Besim Beqaj, Afrim Ademi, and Lirim
Greiçevci were particularly helpful in arranging for interviews and site
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