Viti, Kosovo

Viti (Vitia) or Vitina (Витина) is a town and municipality located in the District of Gjilan in Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, the town of Viti has 4,924 inhabitants, while the municipality has 46,987 inhabitants.

Geography
The town of Viti and the southern part of the Municipality lies on the foothills of the Skopska Crna Gora Mountains.

Ottoman period
The municipality has several settlements historically inhabited by the Laramans, crypto-Catholics.

Kosovo War and aftermath
During the Kosovo War 16 KLA soldiers, as well as 5 Serb soldiers and policemen were killed in Viti. The entire fighting happened in 1999 and in the southern part of the municipality, near the Karadak Mountains, in villages such as Lubishtë, Gjylekare, Mogillë, Smirë, Kabash and Dëbëlldeh. During and after the Kosovo War 76 civilians were killed, 38 Albanians and 38 Serbs. Following the 1999 Kosovo War, it was the home of A Company, 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, the first KFOR troops to begin stabilization efforts in the municipality. After the initial unit left, Viti was the site of a subsequent international scandal when a Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi, from A company, 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment raped and killed a local girl. The subsequent investigation uncovered serious training and leadership deficiencies in the 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and catalysed a tremendous change in the training of units deploying for peacekeeping operations. The Church of the Holy Mother of God, Podgorce was looted during the conflict.

During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the Orthodox cemetery in Viti and the village of Dobreš were hit by missiles.

In August 2003, explosive devices planted in Klokot destroyed five Serb houses, with several injuries, including two American KFOR soldiers.

Serbian Orthodox cemeteries have been destroyed in Viti, among other towns, and in 2004 during unrest, nuns of the Binča monastery were physically attacked, by ethnic Albanians.

Insurgency in the Preševo Valley
During the Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, the UÇPMB mostly recruited fighters from the Karadak region of Kosovo, specifically in the town of Vitia. In February 2001, many towns and villages in the region were covered with posters that instructed Albanians between the ages of 18 and 48 to join their fellow Albanians in the UÇPMB. These posters were supposedly issued by the previously disbanded KLA.

Insurgency in Macedonia
Amidst the Insurgency in Macedonia, approximately 300 NLA fighters from the Vitia municipality, mostly recruited in Dëbëlldeh and Mjakë, participated in several battles against Macedonian security forces in Tanuševci. The NLA also used Dëbëlldeh and Mjakë as strongholds, where they would store Arms.

Contemporary
In 2013 in response to a KLA monument being removed by Serbian authorities in Preševo, a Kosovo Albanian crowd in Viti demolished a Yugoslav-era memorial for anti-fascist Partisans that were killed during the Second World War.

Municipality



 * Ballancë
 * Beguncë
 * Binça
 * Budrikë e Epërme
 * Buzovik
 * Çifllak
 * Dëbëlldeh
 * Devajë
 * Drobesh
 * Gërmovë
 * Gjylekar
 * Goden i Madh
 * Gushicë
 * Kabash
 * Letnicë
 * Lubishtë
 * Mjak
 * Novosellë
 * Podgorc
 * Pozharan
 * Radivojc
 * Ramjan
 * Ramnishtë
 * Remnik
 * Sadovinë e Çerkezëve
 * Sadovinë e Jerlive
 * Shasharë
 * Sllatinë e Epërme
 * Sllatinë e Poshtme
 * Smirë
 * Stubëll e Epërme
 * Stubëll e Poshtme
 * Tërpezë
 * Tërstenik
 * Vërban
 * Vërnakollë
 * Vërnez
 * Zhiti

Demographics
According to the last official census done in 2011, the municipality of Viti has 46,987 inhabitants. Based on the population estimates from the Kosovo Agency of Statistics in 2016, the municipality has 47,370 inhabitants.

Ethnic groups
The ethnic composition of the municipality:

Maps
Ethnic and Religious Affiliation in the Municipality according to the 2011 census results recorded in Kosovo. Tribal Affiliation of Albanians according to the book Gornja Morava i Izmornik.

Notable People

 * Rashit Mustafa, from Lubishtë, commander of the KLA.
 * Njazi Azemi, from Mogillë, commander of the KLA and LAPMB.
 * Jonuz Zejnullahu, from Skifteraj, Imam and commander of the KLA.
 * Shemsi Beqiri, from Viti, Kickboxing World Champion.
 * Muharrem Sahiti, from Budrikë, football coach.
 * Imri Demelezi, from Sllatine e Poshtme, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development
 * Salih Salihu, Deputy in Kosovan Parliament
 * Visar Ymeri, from Viti, politician.
 * Sinan Hasani, from Pozheran, President of Yugoslavia
 * Marko Sopi, from Binač, Catholic prelate.
 * Bastien Toma, footballer
 * Betim Halimi, footballer
 * Liridon Krasniqi, footballer
 * Milaim Rama, footballer
 * Urata Rama, sports shooter