Massacres of Karadak

Massacres of Karadak (1941-1945) were part of a series of atrocities and massacres committed against Albanians of Karadak, Presevo, by Bulgarian, Macedonian and Serbian Chetnik and Partisan forces between the years of 1941-1945. There were atrocities committed in the villages of Bugarinë, Muhaxhieret Ranatoc, Shushaja e Poshtme, Bilinicë, Lagja Kukaj, Pecenë, Gruhali, Norce, Linicë, Kokaj and Sllubicë.[1][2] The total amount of Albanians killed in the region of Karadak during the time is still unknown. In the village of Isëukaj, 98 Albanians were murdered. In 2016, TV news agency RTV Preseva published an article about the memorial which stands today in Presevo.[3][4]

Massacres of Karadak
Location	Presevo
Date	1941-1945
Target	Albanians
Attack type	Mass killing
Deaths	est. 400-500.
Perpetrators	Macedonian Partisans, Serbian Chetniks

Background

Chetniks had for a longer period been fighting the Germans and Albanians under the Axis coalition. Various skirmishes between ethnic groups occurred in the front between Albanian ballists and Serbian and Macedonian Chetniks and Partisans. In the village of Bllaca, Presevo, 109 Albanians were shot by the Macedonian partisan brigade known as sanguinary (bloodthirsty). Another 128 Albanians were found in a mass grave and several who had their throats slit. On November 15, 109 victims were discovered and the following day, another 8. On July 25, 1942, the head of the village Gjilan, reported that the survivors came without clothes, shelter and slept on open fields. When Bulgar forces occupied the region, the Albanians took up arms and various struggles occurred. On September 15, 1943, the Serbian commander Jagod and his Chetniks forces dropped bombs on Ramadan night in the Presevo mosque, killing four and injuring 28 people. They also massacred civilians in Iseuka, Gosponica and Sopot. In the village of Koka, Ymer Saqapi was wounded in the direction of the Kokaj village, where he died and was buried in the cemetery. Several Albanians died from wounds, among them Ahmet Haziri, on December 14, 1944.

The Serbs burned 73 houses, shelters and fields of Mucibaba on November 30, 1944 and early December, mobilizing local Serbs and deserted Chetniks to reach the eastern Karadak territory of Gjilan and Presevo. They were assisted by the Serbian brigade XVI, where they together massacred 93 on Iseukaj, 33 in Gosponica, 13 in Sllubica and Kokaj alongside 5 martyrs. The Albanian commander ymer Saqip Mucibaba spoke of the atrocities at the Committee for the Protection of Ethnic Territories Against Serbian Annexation. The Serbian forces were eventually overrun and shattered into the highlands of Karadak by the Albanians ballists. From the villages of Vranje, only 6 Albanians survived, according to the regional archives of Gjilan.[5] On December 30, 1944, the Battle of Rainica took place between anti-fascist forces and the pro-Anglo-Americans-Russian forces. The rapid penetration of the Bulgarian forces aligned with the Chetniks frightened the Albanian opposition. On July 6, 1944, the Macedonian brigade commanded by Glisha Sharanovic, expanded his forces, and on November 14, 1944, the brigade liquidated about 200 Albanians in Skopje and Karadak.[6] After the killing of 128 Albanians of Bllace e Ultë, the brigade continued to the village of Stubell where they brutally massacred 8 Albanians. On November 30, 1944, Albanian volunteers led by Shehi Livadia, from the Assembly of Presevo, took up arms to fight the Macedonians. Volunteers came from the villages of Burica, Lipovica, Kokaj and Lloce. A local leader named Abdullah Presevo was told by the Macedonian commander that his forces would not pass without breaking "very inch of the ground, entering the houses".[7] The brigade sought a permit to enter Karadak but were halted.[8]

Witnesses

Albanian Nationalist forces, the Ballists, led by Sula Hotla, and Mulla Idriz Gjilani, confronted the Serbian forces in the fall of 1944 and fought for 12 hours. They witnessed the results of the atrocities and collected information from the survivors.[9][10][11]

References

1. Dr. Muhamed Pirraku, Mulla Idris Gjilani., Ibrahim Kelmendi, Aliu Ibrahim Osmani-Kelmendi, Dr. Fehmi Rexhepi. "Karadaku në rezistencën e armatosur (1941-1951)" (PDF). www.ftpmirror.your.org. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
2. ^ Kurtesh Agushi jetonte në Shkup, ishte një ish-student i Beogradit, dhe njeri kyq i LNÇ-së në rajonin juglindor të Kosovës, i cili në vitin 1936 kishte marrë pjesë në demonstratat e studentëve dhe të komunistëve të Beogradit për të kërkuar armë që të shkonte e të luftonte në Spanjë, dhe kryetar komune në Kamenicë(Dardanë
3. "Përkujtohen martirët e lagjes Isëukaj, në Karadakun e Preshevës | RTP". www.rtvpresheva.com (in Albanian). 5 December 2016.
4. "Masakra serbe në Isëukaj të Preshevës, një Mathauzen i Kosovës Lindore". Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
5. "Masakra serbe në Isëukaj të Preshevës – një " Math-Hausen " i Kosovës Lindore | Presheva Jonë". www.preshevajone.com.
6. Ramadani, Nijazi. "Njazi ramadanI Gjilani me rrethine 941-1951) ( Studim monografik)". issuu.
7. ^ Ramadan Asllani,Hasan Alia(fejton,2008)
8. "Armed resistance of the Albanians of Karadak of 1941-1945".
9. ^ Dr.Fehmi Rexhepit, historian dhe dokumenteve arkivore të arkivit rajonal të Gjilanit, Shkupit, Kumanovës të arkivuara nga Selim Norça, Kurtesh Agushi, Hoxhë Ibrahim Capari, si dhe të bashkëpunëtorëve e dëshmitarëve të atyre ngjarjeve të Karadakut 1941-1943, të botuara edhe në librin "Flaka" (pjesa e V-IX) nga Autobiografia.
10. ^ LNÇ në rethinëne Gjilanit nga dr. Fehmi Rexhepi
11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-09-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)