NË PËRKUJTIM TË ATDHETARIT TË DEVOTSHËM, JUSUF BAFTJARI, ALIAS HOXHË LIPOVICA 1883-1948
IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE DEVOTED PATRIOT, JUSUF BAFTJARI ALIAS HOXHË LIPOVICA 1883-1948

Summary/Abstract: Patriotic activity of Jusuf Baftjari alias Hoxhë Lipovica from Lipovica village of Gjilan’s Karadak had started from the time of Serbian occupation of Albanian territories in 1912, when after an armed conflict with Serbian gendarmerie; three members of this family were shot dead (his father, the brother and a nephew). This led to him having a life of a fugitive, until his surrender in 1921, and his sentencing to 20 years of heavy jail. Whereas during the Second World War, he was one of the leaders of guerrilla units of Albanian resistance among the comrade-in-arms of Mulla Idriz Gjilani and one of the commanders of the volunteer units for defending the border of East Kosovo. Since fascist Bulgarian occupation of Karadak area in May 1941, Hoxhë Lipovica established his resistance unit, as a leader of which he remained defending life and wealth of the Albanian population of these territories from the Bulgarian abusers and their collaborators. After fascist Bulgarian capitulation on September 9th, 1944 conforming the order of CC of Second Prizren League for organizing of a political-military structure in the liberated territories and their defense from partisan-chetnik attacks, mobilization of Albanian volunteers started and were appointed commands of defense zones of the borders in the railway line Kumanovo-Preshevo-Bujanoc, led by people with high influence like Ibrahim Kelmendi, Xheladin Kurbalia, Limon Staneci, Hoxhë Lipovica, Sylë Hotla, etc. Hoxhë Lipovica was in charge of defending the border of Preshevo Valley, in the sector Corrotica-Rainca, where the fiercest battle happened on Eid-el-fitr day, on September 19th 1944, where after 12 hours of fighting, the partisan-chetnik forces suffered over 100 dead and a whole battalion of 206 fighters was captured. After the end of Second World War and slavic-communistic reoccupation of Albanian land, a part of nationalist military and political personalities of Kosovo, did not go out of country, but stayed and continued resistance. Among them was also Hoxhë Lipovica, who together with some comrades-in-arms, for a certain time stayed hidden in the mountains of Karadak. During that time, he held regular lines of cooperation with other fugitive groups and took part in the Kopilacha Congress held on 15 and 16 August 1945, organized by CC of ONDA (KQ of ONDSH) and the Supreme Headquarters of the Albanian anti-Yugoslav Resistance movement. At the end of 1946, Yugoslav government undertook a major action with its forces against Albanian Resistance forces in entire Kosovo. At that time also Hoxhë Lipovica similar to many others seeing all possibilities to continue resistance diminishing, after more than two years in illegality, on February 20th 1947, surrendered together with his sons Selim and Qazim and also Saqip Mehmeti and some other members of his group.

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