Authored by Petrit Latifi

Kur serbët ndihmuan xhonturqit të masakrojnë shqiptarët (1908-1910)

Between 1908 to 1910, the Young Turk regime, following traditional anti-Albanian ottoman policies, committed several atrocities against Albanians who revolted against the regime which seeked to undermine Albanian national interests. Thousands of Albanians were killed.

Destruction of kullas and massacres

“The abolition of privileges, the introduction of military service, disarmament, new taxes, the destruction of kule (fortified houses), the massacres, the arrests that took place in 1908, 1909 and especially in 1910, contributed, if need be, to turning the Muslim population of these regions against the new regime, apart from a few notables who, by allying themselves with the Young Turk party, had acquired a certain position of power.”¹

Xhavit Pasha committed many atrocities against Albanian villages

“Cavit Pasha launched ferocious attacks in Kosovo destroying many villages and repressing the Albanian population”, telegram P.RO. F.O. 195/2329 from General Consulate of Salonica to Constantinople Embassy, 1909, Lamb to Lowther”.²

More forces were sent in 1910 after Xhavit Pasha failed

“When the punitive mission of Cavit Pasha failed, another Ottoman force was sent to Kosovo in spring 1910 when a revolt broke out, again because of taxes, under leadership of Isa Boletini and Idriz Seferi (1847–1927) who had gathered 9,000 armed men. The Porte sent a strong army under the command of Shevket Durgut Pasha, which clashed with Albanian insurgents who had blocked the railway from Macedonia.”³

Serbs helped the Ottomans fight the Albanians of Carraleva

“But the biggest battle took place in Carraleva, central Kosovo, where the Ottoman army was repelled. In difficult moments, the Ottomans were helped by the local Serbs who knew a short cut over the mountains which forced the Albanians to withdraw before becoming encircled. Boletini and Seferi escaped capture but many thousands were killed, imprisoned and interned.”⁴

Durgut Pasha destroyed the northern parts of Albania

“Durgut Pasha, now with a force of 40,000, continued westwards to Shkodra to disarm the Albanians and destroy northern parts of Albania. When the campaign was over, the Young Turks proclaimed martial law. They closed down Albanian schools and prohibited publications in Albanian.

With this, the Young Turks broke the last and most important promise they had made in Ferizaj two years earlier. This enraged the few remaining Albanians who might have still believed in Young Turk policies. The CUP annual congress in October 1910 was held in Salonika. No Albanian delegate was present. With their absence, the Albanians demonstrated the belief of many, that reaching a peaceful agreement with the Young Turks was impossible.”⁵

Reference

1. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Aux_origines_du_nationalisme_albanais/2M6oDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=la+population+albanais+massacr%C3%A9e&pg=PT552&printsec=frontcover
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2. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/4058/1/uk_bl_ethos_567897.pdf ↩︎
3. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/20950/1/Dauti_D_History_PhD_2018.pdf ↩︎
4. imbid. ↩︎
5. imbid. ↩︎