On the 27th anniversary of the battle that would go down in history, in Koshare, the former commander of the Topi Battalion, Feriz Trezhnjeva, still keeps fresh the memory of the last meeting with the hero Agim Ramadani.

With emotions even after so many years, he recounts for KosovaPress the moment when Commander Katana gave him a topographical compass, as a medal of honor and gratitude.

27 years later, now speaking from the memorial complex in Koshare where the 114 martyrs of this battle are buried, the former commander of the anti-armor battalion assesses that the Battle of Koshare remains one of the most glorious in the history of Albanians.

According to him, it was a genuine military operation, planned and led by professionals from all fields, from infantry and artillery, to logistics and medicine.

Recalling his role as commander of the unit with 75 and 82 mm cannons, the veteran explains the motivation for joining the war, even though he came from Albania.

Trezhnjeva recalls how his arrival in Kosovo to join the ranks of the KLA was received with extraordinary joy by the commanders of the 138th Brigade, especially by Agim Ramadani.

Trezhnjaku tells how he had expected his departure to war from Katana

“Agimi was extremely happy and when I made the decision for me to join you and be in the structure of this brigade, unit, we started the preparations and he could not wait for me to join him and be in the combat formations of this unit. He waited so much that he said that the time has come for us all to be together, for us to make a contribution to our country, to our Kosovo”, says former commander Trezhnjeva.

The most dramatic and moving moment of his story is related to the night of April 8, 1999, shortly before the start of the attack to break the border. After receiving the final combat order, the commanders greeted each other, aware of the danger that awaited them.

And that same night, the commander of the 138th Brigade, Agim Ramadani, had honored Trezhnjeva with a gift in gratitude for his contribution to the Kosovo war.

“We took on the tasks and responsibilities, because we had prepared the operational plan, how each unit command would conduct its combat operation, where it would hit the targets, how far it would penetrate, so we had done everything in the operational plan. That’s where we received the final combat order. I remember, it was a very dramatic occasion when we all greeted each other so that we could move with our units through the areas of the territory of Koshare…. After I wanted to leave, he addressed me: “Commander Trezhnjeva” and I addressed him. He said ‘I have a gift for you’ And he took that topographic compass and placed it around my neck like a medal, which I will never forget, and he expressed it to me in this way: “For the contribution and help you are giving us, this is a gift from me. I don’t know when we will see each other again.” “This was Agim Ramadani’s last words. And I shed tears, of course, it was emotional, and we hugged again. Then on April 9, we communicated with Agim six times by radio, regarding the coordination of fire, regarding combat operations, so that all of us would be coordinated for the attack of the Battle of Koshara,” he says.

And 27 years later, the former commander of the Topi Battalion, Feriz Trezhnjeva, says that the fall of Commander Katana on April 11, 1999 was a heavy blow, but it did not break the morale of the soldiers.

The Battle of Koshara is the most heroic battle of the Kosovo Liberation Army’s war, after the fighters managed to break the Kosovo-Albania border which had been established a hundred years earlier. This battle that began on April 9, 1999 ended on June 10, 1999. 114 fighters fell martyrs on the altar of freedom, including the commander of Brigade 138, Agim Ramadani, while 380 other soldiers were wounded.