Mirash Gjelaj

Mirash Gjelaj is a famous Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës (UÇK or Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA) fighter from Malesia e Madhe region. He is known by his nickname Amerikani ("American") because he was born and raised in the United States.

He was a member of KLA in Kosova, the Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac (UCPMB), and the National Liberation Army in Macedonia. Gjelaj is also known as one of the main leaders to organize the Albanian population and to create UÇK/NLA in Montenegro, in their struggle for their civil rights (taken from the Montenegro and BBC press).

He is well known and loved by the Albanians of Kosova, Presheva, and Macedonia. It is because he is from the USA and took part in all three wars. This is the reason he was given the nickname Amerikani which he is known for. Gjelaj was also a fighter of the famous KLA commander Tahir Sinani. He is widely believed to have been part of the ZKZ counter intelligence units during the Kosova conflict.

Mirash Gjelaj also worked for the U.S. Army as a translator for a couple of months. He was arrested by the English KFOR in Kosova for his hostile actions against the British forces.He was continuosly harressed by the KFOR forces after the war in Macedonia and eventualy forced to leave Kosova by January 2002, with being accused and suspicious of having ties with the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA), but was later released with the pressure of the state department for"lack of evidence".

There is a belief with the Kosova Albanians that when he visits Kosova there is going to be a new war in the region.