Kosovo Security Force troops paraded at a commemoration in Pristina on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the death in 1998 of Kosovo Liberation Army commander Adem Jashari and honour the wartime actions of the guerrilla force.

Flowers were laid by Prime Minister Albin Kurti and parliament speaker Vjosa Osmani at a memorial inside the Kosovo Security Force compound to KLA fighters killed during the war.

The ceremony was preceded by a commemorative session of the Kosovo Assembly, which was attended by surviving relatives of Jashari.

Every year from March 5-7, Kosovo marks the anniversary of the killing of Jashari and 58 members of his extended family in Prekaz in 1998 – an incident that was seen as a turning point in the former Serbian province’s struggle for independence.

Kosovo Assembly speaker Vjosa Osmani said that before their deaths, Jashari and his relatives had become accustomed to living under constant threat, and “this had motivated him even more for resistance, so the commander and the Jashari family did not even think of giving up”.

“Their demise is a symbol of human sacrifice and the endurance of the Albanian people,” Osmani added.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that Jashari and his relatives kept on fighting even when surrounded by Serbian military and police forces with tanks and artillery.

“For three days, three generations would fight together, three generations of one large family sacrificed for the future and for us,” Kurti said.

Vjosa Osmani, speaker of the Kosovo Assembly (centre), at the ceremony. Photo: BIRN.

Kosovo Security Force commander, Rrahman Rama (centre)  with President Hashim Thaci. Photo: BIRN.

Photo: BIRN.

Photo: BIRN.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti laying flowers at a memorial to KLA fighters. Photo: BIRN.