Agim Ramadani

1963 – 1999

Freedom Fighter
KLA Brigade Commander

Agim Ramadani was a Kosovo Albanian writer, painter and fighter who commanded the 138th Brigade of the Kosovo Liberation Army under the nickname "Katana". A former officer in the Yugoslav Army who later lived in Switzerland as a political emigrant, he left his family in 1998 to join the KLA. He was declared a Hero of Kosovo after the war.

Zhegër, Gjilan

Born: 3 May 1963Zhegër, Gjilan
Died: 11 April 1999Zharret, Kosovo
Role: Brigade commander138th Brigade
Affiliation: Kosovo Liberation Army
Known as: KatanaConspiratorial name
Title: Hero of KosovoDeclared after the war
Education: Military Academy, ZagrebDirectorate of Communications

Why He Matters

Hero of Kosovo
After the war he was declared a Hero of Kosovo and is considered one of the most famous heroes of modern Albanian history.
Breaker of the border
He helped draft the plan to breach the Kosovo–Albania border and was the first to uproot the border stone-pyramid at Koshare.
Soldier, poet and painter
He wrote poetry and painted, exhibiting in Croatia and Switzerland, and was admitted to the European Academy of Arts in 1998. A statue of him stands in Gjilan.

Key Moments

1980
Finished secondary school
He completed the Technical High School in Gjilan, then studied at the Military Academy in Zagreb.
1998
Joined the KLA
He left his wife and three children in Switzerland to join the Kosovo Liberation Army, becoming commander in the Dukagjini Operational Zone.
Aug – Sep 1998
Operations against Yugoslav forces
He led actions including Opijaz, Operation Eagle, Gjeravica and Operation Phoenix.
9 Apr 1999
Battle of Koshare
He crossed the Albania–Kosovo border with 136 soldiers and attacked Yugoslav forces at Koshare.
11 Apr 1999
Fell at Zharret
He died in Kosovo after the border was breached and was later declared a Hero of Kosovo.