Sylejman Selimi
Sylejman Selimi (born September 25, 1970) is the former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, military organisation, and of the Security Force of the Republic of Kosovo.[1][2][3][4] He left this position in 2011 and became the ambassador to Albania.[5]
Sylejman Selimi | |
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Born | Açarevë, Drenica, SAP Kosovo, SFR Yugoslavia | 25 September 1970
Allegiance |
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Years of service | 1991-2011 |
Rank |
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Wars and battles | Kosovo War (1998–99) |
Personal life
Selimi was born on September 25, 1970 in Açarevë village Drenica. He finished primary education in his home town, attended his high school in Kline and finished his studies at the Faculty of Mining and Metallurgy in Kosovska Mitrovica.[6]
Career
- 1991 – 1997 : Cell recruitment on Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK)
- 1998 – 1998 : Commander of UÇK in Drenica Operational Area
- 1998 – 1999 : General commander of UÇK
- 1999 – 2000 : Commander of Kosova Guard
- 2000 – 2006 : Deputy commander of Kosovo Protection Corps
- 2006 – 2009 : Commander of Kosovo Protection Corps
- 2009 – 2011 : Commander of Kosovo Security Force[7]
History
Prior to the Kosovo Security force, Selimi was commander of its predecessor, the Kosovo Protection Corps.[2] On 19 December 2008, Selimi was appointed commander of the Kosovo Security force by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi.[2]
During Insurgency in Kosovo and Kosovo War, he was commander of Kosovo Liberation Army, ethnic-Albanian paramilitary organisation that sought the separation of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) during the 1990s and the eventual creation of a Greater Albania.[8][9][10][11][12]
Selimi insisted:[9]
There is de facto Albanian nation. The tragedy is that European powers after World War I decided to divide that nation between several Balkan states. We are now fighting to unify the nation, to liberate all Albanians, including those in Macedonia, Montenegro, and other parts of Serbia. We are not just a liberation army for Kosovo.
See also
- Military of Kosovo
References
- "Kosovo security forces to become operative" Archived 2011-06-07 at the Wayback Machine b92.net 20 January 2009 Link retrieved 21-01-09
- "Lt. Gen. Selimi appointed as Chief of Staff of Kosovo army" Archived 2009-03-07 at the Wayback Machine newkosovoareport.com 20 December 2009 Link accessed 21-01-09
- "Kosovo's security force launched" news.bbc.co.uk 21 January 2009 Link Retrieved 21-01-09
- " Kosovo's new armed forces take control of security " iht.com 21 January 2009 21-01-09
- "Ambassador Christopher Dell Remarks at the Kosovo Security Force Change of Command in Pristina". Embassy of the United States in Pristina, Kosovo. 22 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- http://www.ambasada-ks.net/al/?page=1,20
- Kosovo Embassy. "Curriculum Vitae" (in Albanian).
- "State-building in Kosovo. A plural policing perspective". Maklu. 5 February 2015. p. 53.
- "Liberating Kosovo: Coercive Diplomacy and U. S. Intervention". Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. 2012. p. 69.
- "Dictionary of Genocide". Greenwood Publishing Group. 2008. p. 249.
- "Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 14 September 2014.
- "Albanian Insurgents Keep NATO Forces Busy". Time. 6 March 2001.