Naim Beka
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Naim Beka | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Komandant Sokoli |
| Born | 5 September 1966 |
| Died | 25 October 1999 (aged 33) |
| Allegiance |   Kosovo |
| Branch |  Kosovo Liberation Army Kosovo Protection Corps |
| Service years | 1998–1999 |
| Rank | Commander |
| Conflicts | Kosovo War |
| Awards | Hero of Kosovo |
Naim Beka (5 September 1966 – 25 October 1999) was a renowned commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army and Logistics Commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps, who was killed under suspicious circumstances after the Kosovo War.[1][2]
Naim Beka was born on September 5, 1966, in the village of Pleshinë, located in the Ferizaj municipality of Kosovo. He completed his primary education in his hometown of Pleshinë and later attended technical high school in Ferizaj. During the 1980s, he was a member a Wrestling Club in Ferizaj and achieved notable success, earning both national gold and silver medals as a first-category wrestler.[1]
In 1992, Naim married Zejnepe Reka. Together, they had two children, Amira and Advan. His early exposure to political unrest came at the age of 15 when, as a high school student, he participated in the mass demonstrations in Ferizaj in April 1981. These protests were aimed at resisting the social injustices, poverty, and systematic oppression imposed on Albanians by the Yugoslav regime.[3][4][5][6][7]
Military career
Involvement in the Kosovo Liberation Army
In May 1998, he traveled to his hometown, where he met KLA commanders Shukri Buja and Imri Ilazi at his uncles house. During this meeting, Naim was officially accepted into the ranks of the KLA in the Nerodime Operational Zone. Alongside his uncle and other comrades, he assisted in recruiting and organizing individuals who were ready to join the KLA.[1]
Upon receiving orders from the Command of the Nerodime Zone, Naim was stationed in the remote village of Jezerc, where he joined other KLA fighters. Throughout the Serbian offensives during the summer and fall of 1998, Naim was consistently present on the frontlines. As a member of the special unit within the Nerodime Operational Zone, he took part in several operations, where significant Serbian police forces were ambushed at a location known as "Kodra e Buqes" near the village of Nerodime. He also participated in the defense of the bodies of the Reçak Massacre victims in early January 1999.[8]
One of his notable engagements was in the battle at the village of Slivovë in Ferizaj, where his comrades Driton Islami (Toni) and Sadik Bega (Murtaja) were killed. After the end of the War in June 1999, the KLA was transformed into the Kosovo Protection Corps, and Naim Beka was appointed as the logistics commander of the KPC.[1]