Nijazi Azemi (16 June 1970 – 26 March 2001) was an Albanian soldier of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and later Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UÇPMB), best known for his support in the Kosovo war. During the war, he had the nickname "Komandant Mjekrra" (Commander Beard in English). He was part of Brigade 115 "Karadaku", which was later renamed Brigade 115 "Njazi Azemi" following his death. Early life Nijazi Azemi was born on June 16, 1970, in the village of Mogillë. His father, Ramush Azemi, was the grandson of Fazli Tërpeza, a rebel who died in 1945 in the Battle of Slakovc against Yugoslav forces. During his youth, Nijazi Azemi was a good student, but he did not continue his education due to the conditions at that time. Later he began to deal with special constructions with wood carving, quickly shaping the profession. He soon started making wood art in his free time. Azemi had taken part in various demonstrations organized by Albanians in western cities. On March 29, 1989, in another protest against the Serbian government in Kosovo, Azemi was injured after a clash with Serbian police. It took him ten days to recover from his injuries at a hospital in Pristina. He then continued to recover in various hospitals in Ljubljana. After going there with the help of the Migjeni association, Nijazi Azemi began training with the KLA. The Serbian police in Kosovo had investigated the danger that Azemi would pose to them. For this reason, during the '90s, he was searched and his house was raided many times, with motives of searching for weapons of various kinds. In 1996 alone, Nijazi's house was raided four times by Serbian police. These actions had often forced Nijazi to lead an illegal life. In order to avoid being arrested by the Serbian Police, he had gone beyond the borders of Kosovo and took refuge with his comrades in Debar, Macedonia and in other places of the Albania several times. The Kosovo War Like other Albanian youth, in the early 1990s, Azemi became the object of persecution for the purpose of being recruited into the ranks of the Yugoslav Army. Calls for recruitment to the army had reached him many times. But he had been determined not to answer these calls. He had openly stated that he would never accept becoming a soldier of Communist Yugoslavia. The time