The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It was fought between the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which controlled Kosovo before the war, and the Kosovo Albanian rebel group known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). The conflict ended when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) intervened by beginning air strikes in March 1999 which resulted in Yugoslav forces withdrawing from Kosovo.
The Albania national football team represents Albania in men's international football, and is governed by the Albanian Football Association, the governing body for football in Albania.
The Kosovo Police is the national policing law enforcement agency of Kosovo. It was established in 1999 and took its current form with the 2008 police law. It consists of five Departments and eight Regional Directorates and is represented at the political level by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public Administration of the Republic of Kosovo.
The Department of Neutralization of Armed Elements commonly known by its acronym RENEA, is the main Albanian counter-terrorist and critical incident response unit. The force was constituted in the early 1990s in response to the growing crime levels in the country after the fall of communism. RENEA's responsibilities are rescue operations, hostage situations, counter-terrorism and response to particularly violent forms of crime. Since 1990, the unit has lost four men in action and more than forty wounded. Their skills are highly regarded and well thought-of inside Albania and in the West, they are reported to have one of the highest OPTEMPOs in all of Europe and they have been trained by GSG 9.
The Special Operations Unit (ROS) (Albanian: Reparti i Operacioneve Speciale) was an Albanian special forces unit, under the authority of the country's Ministry of the Interior. It was based in the western port city of Durrës. Founded in February 2000, it was used principally against organised crime. It was disbanded in 2002.
Adem Jashari was one of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a Kosovo Albanian separatist militia which fought for the secession of Kosovo from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the 1990s.
Unit 326 commonly known as Sampistët was an Albanian special forces group. It consisted of approximately 600 members. Its duties included counter-terrorism, riot control, search and rescue, and demolition. In some respect its duties were reminiscent of the British SAS. After 1991 the unit was abolished due to its controversial role and association with the Communist government of Albania, and its members were dispersed into subsequent special operations units such as RENEA, ROS, Shqiponjat, and the Commando Brigade.
Shqiponjat is a popular Italo-Albanian folk music group based in Santa Sofia d'Epiro, Calabria, Italy.
KF Tërbuni, also known as Tërbuni Pukë, is an Albanian football club based in the city of Pukë. The club's home ground is the Ismail Xhemali Stadium and they currently compete in the Kategoria e Dytë.
Law enforcement in Albania is the responsibility of several agencies. The responsibility for most tasks lies with the Albanian State Police, a national police agency, which is under the authority of Ministry of Internal Affairs. Examples of other agencies with limited policing powers are the Municipal Police, which has administrative functions and operates in the local level. They are controlled by mayors.
Lazarat is a village in Gjirokastër County, in southern Albania. It is located in the Dropull valley. Formerly functioning as a municipality, as part of the 2015 local government reform, it became a subdivision of the municipality of Gjirokastër. The former municipality consisted of the villages Lazarat and Kordhocë.
Law enforcement in North Macedonia is the responsibility of the Police of the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Republican Guard is a militarized government agency of Albania mandated by law to protect high-ranking state officials, including the President of Albania, as well as certain national properties, high-ranking foreign visitors and diplomatic offices. It is mostly subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, except that the unit responsible for the president's security being under the authority of the president.
The Albanian Military Police is a provost independent branch of the Albanian Armed Forces responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in Albania and while service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises. The PU it is under the authority of Ministry of Defence. Its tasks increase during wartime to include traffic control organisation and POW and refugee control. The Military Police are distinguished from other units by their wearing of black uniform and the blue brassard worn around the left upper arm, with the "MP" lettering in white, symbol of military police.
The Rapid Intervention Force (FNSH) (Albanian: Forcat e Ndërhyrjes së Shpejtë) is the reserve force of the Albanian State Police which is tasked to carry out special security operations and resolve situations that can not be overcome by other police services, the execution of which requires specially prepared and equipped personnel. FNSH offers assistance in cases of civil emergencies and accidents for the protection of life and property.
Heraldry, as a scholarly discipline that deals with the study and origin of various symbols and elements, emerged in Albania towards the end of the 12th century. Over time, it has evolved as an inseparable component of European heraldry, encompassing its advancements, shifts and accomplishments.
