Today marks 26 years since the Battle of Koshare, one of the most important confrontations of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the war for freedom. On April 9, 1999, KLA fighters, led by Brigade 138 “Agim Ramadani,” managed to break the border between Kosovo and Albania, opening the route for arms supplies and logistical support.
Michael Spath, a former sniper of the KLA, shared his story with Klan Kosova about how he joined the Kosovo Liberation Army after serving in the U.S. Army.
He recalls that he had to make significant efforts to persuade others to join the fight.
“I had to talk to some Americans and Germans; they were very powerless at that moment, there was no proper coordination, and they didn’t know what to do. Then I thought, why not go there and see what I can do? Australia had been involved in coordination with Kosovo, and they told me to meet an Australian in Italy who was part of the Ministry of Defense in Tirana. Cooperate and talk with him about what equipment was needed and everything else,” he recounted.
Later, someone contacted him and said, “Would it bother you if you went to the front and saw what was happening? The next day, I left,” Spath said.
