Former KLA officer Naim Miftari has sharply criticized former Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi after the latter said that he keeps the KLA emblem in the left pocket of his shirt.

In a written statement, Miftari questioned Thaçi’s words and asked him where he keeps the emblem of the DGSE, the French secret service, as well as a photograph of Arnaud Danjean, whom he describes as his superior and a French agent linked to him.

“Hashim, where do you keep the emblem of the DGSE, the French secret service, and the photo of your superior, the Serbian son-in-law and French agent Arnaud Danjean?” Miftari wrote.

His statement also refers to the former president’s brother, Ganiu. Miftari claims that he keeps an emblem that he attributes to Ivica Stanishiq of the UDBA.

The former KLA officer also attacked Thaçi over the wealth and career he built after the war. According to him, Thaçi went from being a poor asylum seeker in Switzerland who had stolen Levi’s 501 jeans to becoming a multimillionaire after, Miftari claims, more than 90 percent of the “Vendlindja Thërret” Fund was stolen from the KLA.

Miftari also accuses him of selling and appropriating most of Kosovo’s assets after the end of the war in order to secure power and a political role. He also criticizes him over the K-90 Agreement, claiming that with a single signature, most KLA soldiers were left without support and “out on the streets.”

According to Miftari, Thaçi benefited from the KLA’s war by becoming prime minister, foreign minister and later president. He also claims that corruption during and after the war made Thaçi a multibillionaire and that, through him, the Specialist Chambers were brought against the KLA.

Miftari writes that Thaçi had believed the international community had deceived him, as he thought that he and his fellow fighters would not be tried, while proceedings would instead be brought against the actual commanders of the war.

At the end, the former KLA officer links his statement to the patriot Bahajdin Allaqi. He asks Thaçi whether he keeps the phone or the book under his pillow when he sleeps, implying that this is connected to the question of where Bahajdin Allaqi’s grave is located.

“Hashim, do you keep the phone or the book under your pillow when you sleep? Shall I ask you another time where the grave of the patriot Bahajdin Allaqi is located?” Miftari wrote.

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The president of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Bedri Hamza, has responded to the trial of the former KLA leaders in The Hague, noting that 30 days remain until September 16, when the verdict is expected to be announced.

According to Hamza, that date should mark the end of six years of pretrial detention for Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi.

“Today, we are 30 days away from September 16, the day when the unjust six-year process that has kept Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi isolated in The Hague will come to an end,” Hamza wrote.

He stressed that the four former KLA leaders have spent a long period in pretrial detention, separated from their families and from Kosovo.

“Six years in pretrial detention. Six years away from their families and Kosovo. Six years of facing prejudice, agendas, political narratives, rights violations and numerous injustices,” he stated.

The PDK leader emphasized that neither his position nor that of the party he leads has changed, while the demand remains justice and the release of the four former KLA leaders.

“Our expectations and demands are clear: justice and release,” Hamza said.

Hamza stated that September 16 should serve as the conclusion of this chapter and as the day Thaçi, Veseli, Krasniqi and Selimi return to Kosovo.

“After six years, September 16 should be the day this painful chapter for our freedom, independence and state-building comes to a close. It should be the day the four former KLA leaders return home,” he wrote.

At the end of his response, the PDK leader reiterated that 30 days remain until the court’s decision, linking the wait to the demand for justice.

“We will wait another 30 days. We await justice,” Hamza concluded.

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A protest held in the Albanian capital on its 71st day took a different turn, focusing on the diplomatic missions of Serbia and Ukraine.

Participants voiced their support with the chant “KLA, KLA,” while directing messages at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The action came immediately after his visit to Belgrade, where he met with his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vučić.

During their joint appearance before reporters, Zelensky reaffirmed that his country’s position on Kosovo’s independence remains unchanged and that Ukraine does not recognize its statehood.

The statement prompted strong reactions in Kosovo, where acting Foreign Minister Glauk Konjufca said it was regrettable.

A group of protesters carried out a symbolic act in Albania by changing the name of the street currently known as “Free Ukraine.”

In response to Zelensky’s position, they renamed the street “Free Dardania,” while continuing to chant in honor of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

In a parallel development in Pristina, the large banner bearing the words “Free Ukraine” was removed from the facade of the Grand Hotel.

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Former MP Fatos Geci has reacted to the egg-throwing incident, describing the use of such an act in response to efforts to establish institutions as unacceptable.

According to Geci, eggs may be used as a sign of opposition to projects such as the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities or the border demarcation, but not against the process of building institutions. He stressed that responsibility for this process lies with all representatives elected by the citizens.

In his full response, Geci wrote that it is both ironic and utterly ridiculous for someone to be invited to a meeting to discuss reaching an agreement on the formation of institutions, only to respond to the invitation by throwing eggs in someone’s face.

He called it deeply shameful, particularly because the act was committed by a former member of the KLA.

“Shame on you!” Geci concluded.

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The KLA War Veterans’ Organization has condemned the honoring of Serbian military units, stating that such an act institutionalizes the denial of war crimes and protects impunity.

According to the KLA War Veterans’ Organization, ceremonies honoring these units cannot be described as commemorations as long as Serbia’s state, military and police archives remain closed and the fate of missing persons has yet to be clarified.

“Honoring Serbian military units while continuing to keep Serbia’s state archives closed and conceal evidence of war crimes is not commemoration. It is the institutionalization of denial and the protection of impunity,” the statement said.

The organization called on Belgrade to open its military and police archives and to disclose the fate of those who went missing during the war in Kosovo. It stressed that the truth cannot be covered up “with medals, state honors or rewritten narratives.”

The KLA War Veterans’ Organization believes that the failure to respond to the glorification of Serbian units further reinforces the denial of crimes. At the same time, the organization reiterated that Kosovo will uncompromisingly pursue truth and accountability for war crimes.

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The KLA War Veterans Organization responded to a statement by Democratic Union for Integration (BDI) leader Ali Ahmeti, who said he had information indicating that the Constitutional Court was considering initiatives to reopen cases from the Hague Tribunal, including an indictment against the National Liberation Army (NLA). Ahmeti stressed that reopening old wounds is more painful than creating a new one.

The KLA War Veterans Organization said it categorically opposes any attempt to launch new Hague proceedings against the National Liberation Army.

According to the organization, these are acts of political revisionism aimed at portraying a just war of liberation as criminal and undermining the foundations of the Ohrid Agreement.

“Albanian fighters paid the price that brought dignity, equality and stability. The wounds of the past must not be reopened with the aim of attacking the values of the war or destabilizing the region.

North Macedonia’s chauvinist circles must not attempt to distort history for their own political interests,” the KLA War Veterans Organization said in its response.

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The KLA War Veterans’ Organization held a working meeting with officials from the Embassy of the United States of America in Kosovo.

During the meeting, the main issues concerning veterans, as well as their concerns, were discussed.

According to the organization’s statement, the discussions included topics of interest to war veterans and highlighted the need to continue cooperation with international partners.

“At this meeting, we emphasized the extraordinary importance of the lasting friendship and partnership we have with our greatest and irreplaceable partner, the United States of America,” the statement said.

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Representatives of the KLA War Veterans’ Organization held a working meeting with officials from the US Embassy in Kosovo, during which they addressed the main issues and concerns facing veterans.

The organization announced the meeting in a post on the social media platform Facebook.

“Today, we held a working meeting with officials from the US Embassy in Kosovo, where we discussed the main issues and concerns of our veterans.

During the meeting, we emphasized the extraordinary importance of our enduring friendship and partnership with our greatest and irreplaceable partner, the United States of America,” the statement said.

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Hysni Gucati, who heads the Organization of Veterans of the Kosovo Liberation Army, appealed to his former comrades-in-arms to avoid traveling through Serbian territory. This reaction came immediately after a Serbian group called “Heart of Heroes” made public the names of members of the 111th “Adem Jashari” Brigade and the 121st “Kumanova” Brigade.

This group, which gathers around itself former members of security forces from the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, has addressed the authorities in Belgrade and the War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office with the request to investigate the lists and assess whether the mentioned individuals bear criminal responsibility. At the same time, they have called on Interpol to issue global arrest warrants for former KLA members, while the same lists have also been forwarded to police authorities in several European Union member states.

In a statement to KosovaPress, Gucati warned the European Union not to be manipulated by Serbia’s game, stressing the risk of Kosovar citizens being detained. According to him, the Serbian authorities constantly aim to destabilize Kosovo and have never had good intentions toward Albanians, especially toward former KLA soldiers. Gucati emphasized that calls for caution to veterans have been made before, but now the situation is more sensitive due to the open publication of names by Chetnik circles.

The head of the veterans’ organization asked the Kosovo Government to take concrete steps and bring this issue to international forums. He highlighted the need for the Kosovar executive to communicate with EU members and states participating in Interpol through an official letter, in order to prevent possible arrests of KLA members.

Meanwhile, lawyer Arianit Koci stressed that the obstacles citizens face when passing through Serbia affect not only former soldiers but also ordinary people. He recommended that, at least during this period, everyone avoid traveling through that territory. Koci explained that although Serbian authorities have made continuous requests to Interpol, the vast majority of them have not been taken into consideration outside Serbia’s borders.

He added that Serbian police, despite these lists, continue to cause problems ranging from imposing fines to multi-day arrests, often over KLA symbols found on mobile phones or in vehicles. Although he appreciated the engagement of the Kosovar ambassador in Serbia, Koci underlined that government institutions still have room to do more in protecting the rights of their citizens.

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Journalist Nefail Maliqi strongly opposed the idea, asking why Kosovo should suffer because of political or judicial proceedings and the decisions associated with them, “Bota sot” reports.

In his response, Maliqi asks why Kosovo should burn when Serbia had already burned it in 1999. He recalls that the KLA had extinguished the Serbian flames and liberated the country.

He says he opposes such an act even if, as he calls him, the “flamethrower” Naiti wants Edi Rama to burn, whom he says had sent KLA leaders to The Hague.

Maliqi states that he also disagrees with the idea of burning the 82 MPs who raised their hands in favour of establishing the Special Court.

He also asks why there are no calls for Serbia, the UDB or the Special Court itself to burn.

According to Maliqi, Kosovo should not burn, because Serbia had burned it in 1999 and, before that, for decades.

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