By DASHNOR KALOÇI
First part
Memorie.al / Even though 44 years have passed since the event of September 26, 1982, when the so-called “Xhevdet Mustafa Band” landed somewhere on the coast of Divjaka, and over 35 years since the fall of the communist regime, during which dozens of testimonies and archival documents about that event have been made public, that event still remains shrouded in mystery and the truth about it remains not fully clarified. Without exaggerating at all, it can even be said that the “Xhevdet Mustafa Band” is one of the greatest mysteries of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha and his successor Ramiz Alia, throughout their 45 years of rule. The biggest and main questions about it relate not only to the role of the State Security in preparing and bringing it to Albania, but also to the primary purpose or mission of the so-called “Xhevdet Mustafa Band”! Namely: “the assassination of the main leader of the Party” (always according to the official version of that time, articulated orally and also written by Enver Hoxha himself), but also to the manner in which it appeared and acted after landing on the coast of Divjaka; starting from their external appearance (clothing and armament), or by physically eliminating several persons who did not in any way endanger their journey towards Tirana – things which, as is known, led to their exposure!
Regarding the above, there are so many question marks and mysteries that entire writings would be needed, and even then any analysis made would not be exhaustive! It might even add more to the “fog” that has covered it since September 26, 1982, when it landed somewhere on the coast of Divjaka. Based on this, as well as the great interest that has existed and continues to exist regarding the so-called “Xhevdet Mustafa Band”, following the testimonies and archival documents we have published in nearly 35 years since the fall of the communist regime, in this writing we are publishing several archival documents recently extracted from the fund of AIDSSH (Authority for Information on Documents of the former State Security), which are published for the first time along with their respective facsimiles by Memorie.al.
THE SECRET DOCUMENT WITH THE INFORMATION OF OPERATIVE WORKER ENVER ZENELI, WITH THE TESTIMONY GIVEN BY FORMER DEPUTY MINISTER OF DEFENSE NAZAR BERBERI, REGARDING THE ORDER GIVEN BY KADRI HAZBIU, TO SEND A HELICOPTER TO DIVJAKA
SECRET Single copy
Tirana, February 11, 1983
INFORMATION
On February 11, 1983, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, comrade Zylyftar Ramizi, summoned Nazar Berberi and asked him to provide clarifications regarding the order he gave on September 26, 1982, to send a helicopter to Divjaka. He was first asked: For what reason did he give the order to prepare a helicopter on September 26, 1982? Why did he request it? Where would it take off? Who gave the order for this problem?
Nazar Berberi said that I have been ordered on several occasions for helicopters to go on service, only when requested by the Ministry of Health, for reasons of serious illness. Apart from these cases, I have not given any order for any other destination. Despite our insistence that he provide explanations for this problem, he insisted that he did not remember having given such an order on September 26, and that apart from illness cases, he had not given an order for any other case.
Comrade Pandeli Berberi was called and he confronted Nazar Berberi, telling him: “On September 26, 1982, around 9:00, you ordered me to prepare a helicopter, and then later you annulled that order”! Nazar Berberi pretended not to remember and after much debate he said: “I remember that on the day the Xhevdet Mustafa band was discovered, I was at the Ministry of People’s Defense.
I was about to enter the meeting of the basic Party organization of the Cadre Directorate. That day Veli Llakaj was in the office. Before lunch, I don’t remember the exact time, but it must have been approximately around 9:00 in the morning, Veli Llakaj calls me and orders me to prepare a helicopter that would go to Divjaka of Lushnja, because a saboteur had been detected and since he had entered a place where he could not be captured, a chemistry group had to go to throw a temporarily acting poisonous substance.
Veli Llakaj told me that Kadri Hazbiu had been in Elbasan that day and from there he had ordered a helicopter to be prepared for Divjaka. As Veli told me, Kadri had told him that Enver Lagji should also go on the helicopter, along with the temporarily acting poisons. In my presence, Veli Llakaj ordered Enver Lagji to find this type of poison and to leave urgently together with the director of the Institute of Chemistry at the Ministry of People’s Defense.
Enver Lagji went to the Institute of Chemistry and to the First Brigade, and was delayed because he could not find such poisons, and when he returned, Veli gave the order that the helicopter should not take off, because according to Veli the band was destroyed. As soon as I received the order from Veli Llakaj, I called comrade Pandeli Berberi on the phone, around 9:00, (date September 26, 1982), and told him to prepare a helicopter”.
When we asked him why he did not give explanations from the beginning for this problem, Nazar Berberi started saying: “I didn’t remember this case, not that I didn’t want to tell you”!
OPERATIVE WORKER
ENVER ZENELI
THE SECRET DOCUMENTS WITH THE EXTRACT OF THE REPORT-INFORMATION OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS BRANCH OF GJIROKASTËR DISTRICT, REGARDING THE BAND OF XHEVDET MUSTAFA, WHICH LANDED IN DIVJAKA ON 26.IX.1982
SECRET
Single copy
Tirana, December 27, 1983
Extract
Taken from the information of the Internal Affairs Branch of Gjirokastër, No. 60/10, dated December 6, 1982
“…Even this band that was captured, with head Xhevdet Mustafa, our government had ordered to be captured alive, but the collaborator Kadri Hazbiu crushed them with tanks so that he himself would not be detected. Their aim was the leader of the Party. One variant was to kill him, another to poison him, and the third variant to take him alive to the Soviet Union.
(Photo: The boat from Bodrishta, in PP, TA)
Direction Officer
Pandeli Pando
Comrade Ylli
Give Gjirokastër the task to clarify how this person knows these things, and inform us.
January 26, 1983 Enver Zeneli
THE SECRET DOCUMENTS WITH THE EXTRACT OF THE REPORT-INFORMATION OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS BRANCH OF GRAMSH DISTRICT, REGARDING THE WORDS CIRCULATING ABOUT THE BAND OF XHEVDET MUSTAFA
SECRET
Single copy
Tirana, December 27, 1982
Extract
Taken from the information of the Internal Affairs Branch of Gramsh, No. 5/8, dated November 13, 1982.
“….Kadri Hazbiu, what’s the use that he was caught, because he wanted to do the big job? He didn’t want to kill the main leader, but what if the main leader killed him?! The stick that was to be given to the leader was prepared piece by piece from abroad and was to be filled with explosive material. Kadri would give it as a gift, but what’s the use, he was discovered…”.
(S…M…, middle class, with 8-year education, advised in 2/B, age 38).
Direction Officer
Pandeli Pando
Comrade Ylli
Give Gramsh the task to clarify how this person knows these things, and inform us.
January 26, 1983 Enver Zeneli
THE SECRET DOCUMENTS WITH THE EXTRACT OF THE REPORT-INFORMATION OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS BRANCH OF POGRADEC DISTRICT, REGARDING THE WORDS CIRCULATING ABOUT THE BAND OF XHEVDET MUSTAFA
SECRET
Single copy
Tirana, December 27, 1982
Extract
Taken from the information of the Internal Affairs Branch of Pogradec, No. 17/8, dated November 15, 1982.
“….A comrade from Starova told me that when the band of the criminal Xhevdet Mustafa came, Kadri Hazbiu had also gone and Xhevdet Mustafa had told Kadri: ‘You brought us to Albania,’ so Xhevdet Mustafa exposed Kadri and thus the time has come for war, but if it didn’t happen, it won’t happen even now, but this year war must certainly break out…!”
(An element in 2/A, on behalf of the First Branch)
Direction Officer
Pandeli Pando
THE SECRET DOCUMENTS WITH THE EXTRACT OF THE REPORT-INFORMATION OF THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS BRANCH OF GJIROKASTËR DISTRICT, REGARDING THE WORDS CIRCULATING ABOUT THE BAND OF XHEVDET MUSTAFA
SECRET
Single copy
Tirana, January 10, 1983
Extract
Taken from information No. 18, dated January 4, 1983, sent to the Internal Affairs Branch of Gjirokastër
“…Even the band that was captured had orders to be captured alive, but Kadri Hazbiu, as their collaborator, crushed them with tanks, so that he himself would not be detected. Their goal was the physical elimination of the main leader of the Party, or to take him alive to the Soviet Union”.
Pandeli Pando
Comrade Pandeli Pando
You are delaying these serious pieces of information! Why?! Why are you cutting them up! Who gave this information?! What measures have been taken?!
First Directorate
Zylyftar Ramizi
Comrade Ylli
The material to be placed in the file of the enemy Kadri Hazbiu. In the note left by comrade Zylyftar.
Comrade Pandeli Pando should be informed: he must inform about the measures that have been taken.
We also need to know, how does this person know these things, who tells him?
January 26, 1983 Enver Zeneli
Comrade Hekuran
Strange things have been done.
The Platform does not forbid informing comrade Enver, about anyone and about anything suspicious that comes out. The Political Bureau has established the Platform, and from it and from comrade Enver, instructions are taken on what to do further, to make the necessary verifications./ Memorie.al
January 20, 1983 Zylyftar Ramizi
To be continued in the next issue
