Ajet Sopi Bllata

Ajet Sopi Bllata (1861–1938) was an Albanian patriot and Kachak from Jabllanica, Vilayet of Kosovo, close to Gallapi, Buci. He was from the Ahmet Sopi family. At the age of 17, he became an important figure for his village and community. When the Congress of Berlin favored Serbia, Sopis village - located near the Serbian border - was attacked by Serbs. Being outnumbered, they were expelled and the villagers left everything behind. However, on their way Sopis family realized that they had forgotten a child named Zeqir in the cradle during the panic. Sopi decided to return to the village and retrieve a child. When he returned to the house, he saw that it had been set on fire, and the Serbs were looting. He managed to get inside the flames, retrieving the child and then fleeing the scene. When the serbs saw him, they opened fire at him to which Sopi returned fire. Sopi, who had now lost his family, followed their tracks and vowed to never forget what the Serbs had done. Sopi fought as a Kachak for many years against Serbs together with Idris Seferi until he was expelled by Chetniks to Turkey. Eventually he moved to Albania where he was killed by two villagers who had been paid by Serb authorities.

As the family traveled to the village of Topanci, close to Gjilani, modern day the municipality of Dardane, they had difficulties setting up a new home. Although the region of was under Serb administration, they worked the lands. Sopi, having secured his family, proceeded to met up with Vesel Kosovice and Idris Seferi in order to continue his patriotic struggle. As they continued, they met regions which had been attacked by Serbs, the commander being Stojan Domoroc, who ordered the atrocities. He stole the Albanians cattle, which angered Sopi and he proceeded to return the cattle which the Serbs now had stolen. Sopi demanded that the Serbs pay for the costs to which Sopi engaged in hostilities with the Serbs but particularly with Stojan. Vesel Kosovic had been told by Stojan that he was going out to hunt in the mountains of Marec, near the lake Krivareka. Stojans men, consisting mostly of Albanians, proceeded while Kosovic and Sopi discussed how to encounter them. Sopi and Kosovice managed to find a location in order to ambush them. Sopi opened fire as soon as he saw Stojani, hitting him in the chest, throwing him off the horse. Stojans men, now panicked, began opening fire. Ajet however signalized with his rifle that if the Albanians continued to fire on their fellow Albanians, they too would meet the same fate as Stojan.

The killing of Stojan Domorci became widely spread in Gallap and Karadak. The Serbs, terrified, saw as the Albanians proceeded to live in freedom. The men of Stojan however decided to avenge their killed leader and proceeded to track down Vesel Kosovice and they killed him. Ajet Sopi, now much angered for the death of his comrade, decided to avenge him. The Serbs however, seeing their chance, decided to surround him in his house as he slept. When Ajeti woke up, much angered by the masses outside, opened fire, killing two Serb members of the gender armies. He then proceeded to pick up their weapon, killing another two Serbs in the mountains of Lugu i Thanave. From that day, Ajeti began his life as a Kachak. One night, as he was traveling in Rogane, close to Tyrbes, he noticed Serb soldiers guarding the road. He proceeded to open fire at them, killing them all, and returning backwards. He returned to Bllatë, where met with three other Kachaks: Rama, Kadria and Emini, although he did not work together with them. As he returned home, Sopi married a girl from his village. But when the family of the girl found out that Ajeti was a Kachak, they took back their daughter and gave her to someone else, fearing that she would suffer the consequences. Ajeti was much angered by this treacherous deed and much disappointed. As the woman was getting married, Ajeti ambushed the groom, killing him and a secondary person and proceeded to steal the newly wedded girl, also called ”nuse”. The family of the woman decided to avenge them. A cousin of Ajeti, named Aliu, met up with Ajeti to help him.

The angry mass, numbering 30, captured Aliu outside his house, while Ajeti was inside sleeping and he had left his arms in the closet of his nuse. ”Bride”. The masses broke into the house and captured Ajeti and proceeded to take them to the nearby station in Gradec. Ajeti however escapes custody. The next morning, three gendarmes find Ajeti and capture him. His cousin Aliu was also released the next day. The gendarmes, who previously had heard of his patriotic deeds, decide to lower their weapons when Ajeti tells them who he is. As they approach him with cigarettes, Ajeti however grabs a rifle from one of the soldiers, and catches them off-guard, saying:

"You are granted mercy tonight, for i will not end you, but if i find you sneaking behind my back, i will shoot you the way I shot Stojan and those traitors! Take your cigarettes, and continue down the road. If you turn back to look, i will shoot you!"

Ajeti continued to Karadak, where met up with Idris Seferi to fight with him against the Ottomans. At this time, the head of the Chetniks, Kojice Popovic, kidnapped two Albanian women. Ajeti himself took on the task to retrieve the two girls and avenge the Albanian ”honor”. He sought the Chetnik commander and killed him along with other Serbs in the house. When he returns, he is much disturbed that his fellow friends accuse him for having committed crimes such as steal a bride and collect other peoples cattle. He proceeds to kill the accusers, once again leaving death behind him. Sickened by all the treason, he proceeds once again to join Idris Seferi.

The Serb plan for the occupation of Kosovo was much appreciated by the Chetniks Miladin Kollolec. They ordered Ajeti to throw down his guns and move away from the village of Bllata. His family decided to obey the Chetnik orders and to move to Turkey. In the year of 1912, August, Ajeti, with his wife and four children, decided to follow the family for Turkey. The Chetniks followed them to the border of Greece and paid for their tickets. Ajeti handed over his rifle, his gun and belt to the commander. He then proceeded to speak with the Chentik saying:

"I intended to kill you with this rifle, but I will surrender it today. I will never grant you this opportunity, but I will give up this time, and this time only."

According to Milosav Jelic, a Serb writer who published the "Chronicles of the South", Ajeti decided, with six other comrades, to stay in Adana, Turkey. He worked as a farmer, but because having never worked as one, he found it much difficult. In his madness, he proceeded to attack the landlord and was arrested. He requested to be transferred to Albania which was granted, but he lost contact with his family. In 1916, he began a new life in Karp, close to Kavaja, in Albania.

He began working to retrieve water for the villagers and joined a group. He told two workers to work for another day, but the two workers were assassins who had been paid by the Serb authorities to kill Ajeti. They proceed to shoot at Ajeti with hunting rifles. Ajeti immediately wields his rifle and shoots and kills the first and injures the other. Wounded, he proceeds to walk through this meadow. His last words were that ”Even here they tried to kill me”. Ajeti died in Kavaja in 1938.