The Albanian Hero: Ahmet Delia

**Lek** · 06-21-2017, 02:35 PM

Happens to also be a maternal relative of mine

Ahmet Delia (1850-1913) was an Albanian freedom fighter and member of the League of Prizren during the Albanian National Awakening. Born in Drenica, Prekaz (back then Ottoman Empire) his father, Deli Prekazi, was one of the founders of the League. Ahmet Delia became active early during the Albanian war of resistance against the invading Serb army in 1912. Ahmet Delia became one of the most important figures of the Albanian struggle for freedom when he defended a house in Prekaz that was being attacked by Serb forces in 1912. A group of 12 serb soldiers had entered the village and begun looting, burning and killing Albanian civilians. Ahmet Delia, aged 63 at the time, spotted the soldiers as they forced the neighbor Halil and his family on the yard.[1]

When Delia hears the women and children crying he decides to take on the matter for himself and approaches the house. He calls on his son Mursel and the village chieftain, Rame Islami, and together they approach the soldiers. Delia lacked proper arms and wielded himself with an axe while the other two with spades. When Delia enters the yard, the other two block the door cutting of the serb soldiers their escape. When Delia approaches the first soldier, he launches an attack against him and kills him instantly. The serb soldiers, now alarmed, decide to try and surround Delia only to get in an ambush by Mursel who also attacks the soldiers, killing them and arming himself with their rifles only to shoot and kill the rest. [2]

Ahmet Delia continues to swing his axe against the Serb soldiers, killing them instantly and Mursel and Rame overruns the rest of the soldiers trying to shoot Delia. One soldier manages to open fire at Delia, injuring him, but he is killed by Mursel who chokes him. The fight ends with 11 dead Serb soldiers, where as the last, Jovan Radosavljevic, tries to escape but is captured by Rame. Delia yells "Not him!" and orders the release of the soldiers where he tells him to tell the Serb king what awaits anyone who tries to occupy Albanian lands. Delia eventually dies later that day due to his wounds and the village was repeatedly attacked later that year. During the Kosovo war of 1998, Serb forces practically burned down the whole village.[3]