Fatmir Haklaj’s years
They were going to congratulate him; Salihi’s wife gave birth to a boy
GOING TO CONGRATULATE HIM, SALIHI’S WIFE GAVE BIRTH TO A BOY
Fatmir Haklaj’s years
Jaho Salihi seriously wounded
Andi Tela
Fatmir Haklaj and Sami Kërnaja had gone to congratulate Jaho Salihu on the birth of his son, but were surrounded by the crackle of gunfire. The attack took place last night in the village of Bujan, Tropojë. On the doorstep of the house of the well-known man from the North—and treatment at a foreign clinic. He fails to achieve the latter, as his offer is not accepted. He returns to Tropojë and tries to protect himself from his enemy, but it seemed last night had been in preparation for some time. Together with his close friend Sami Kërnaja, they were travelling in a car—
The men of the North were hit by an endless burst of gunfire, leaving them no chance to react. They were exchanging greetings and congratulating Jaho on the birth of his son when the first shots were heard. The Director General of Police confirmed the news to Gazeta Shqiptare last night. Veli Myftari said that everything happened a few minutes after the clock struck 20:00. Until late in the evening, apart from confirmation that the news was true, little else was known. The village’s distance from Tropojë prevented Gani Malushi and his men from providing full details about the serious crime. In fact, what had long been expected happened in Tropojë last night. After the infamous attack of 4 August, in which Fatmir was wounded and Sami Kërnaja’s brother was killed, events escalated at a dizzying pace. The entire police structure was replaced, and large forces began searching remote areas. The calm imposed for the population seems not to have affected the old blood-feud enemies. The former Kukës police chief, Jonuz Hyka, was killed, and an attack was made on Jaho’s father, Sali Mulosmati. At least on 4 August, they had killed his brother in the centre of Bajram Curri. After spending some time at the Military Hospital and the prison hospital, Fatmir Haklaj provided a property guarantee in order to obtain house arrest…
…he fails to achieve it, because tries to protect himself from his enemy, but it seems an armoured car towards Bujan, Jaho Salihu’s village. The latter had arrived home only a few hours earlier, after his family informed him of the birth of his son. But the fatal moment came when neither of them expected it. Haklaj and Salihu were two of the most talked-about figures after the turbulent year of 1997. The former because of the position he held and the numerous feuds he had inherited in that area; the latter because of the killing of Democratic leader Azem Hajdari. Accused by the PD on the tragic evening of 12 September, he was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office only once, and no measures were taken against the accused, on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence. In the police records, last night the names of Fatmir Haklaj and two of his friends were crossed out. The three attacks organised against him after 6 January 1998—the day he killed the chief of public order on the steps of the police station—had failed, but had once again taken members of his family. The mystery of yesterday’s incident can be solved only if Jaho Salihu manages to survive. Taken urgently to Bajram Curri Hospital, doctors have not yet given a clear assessment of his condition. It is not known whether Jaho’s wife or any other member of the household managed to recognise any of the killers’ faces. This would be so they could identify them to the police, but also to other members of the clan. It would also help determine whether yesterday’s incident was the end or the beginning of a new vendetta.