Aleksandër Peçi, the former Elite commander who was injured in 2012 during a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, has decided to abandon his duty and country, due to the ongoing pressure he has been subjected to during his duty.
The reason for this was a clash he had with former Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli, to whom he made a vital request, that their salary not be taxed at 23% of the salary, while they were on a mission abroad, where they often put their lives at risk. After that, he faced many obstacles, in retaliation for his opposition to the minister.
Given that he was not given any reward in our country, and was denied a promotion despite his injury, Peçi was forced to leave the country in early 2016, leaving his family and two minor daughters in Albania. Peçi fled to the United States with the help of an American colleague, who had also been wounded with him in the mission in Afghanistan.
In an exclusive interview with Fax News, Peçi reveals the circumstances that forced him to abandon his duty and Albania. He is now in the US, awaiting an answer to join the American Armed Forces, while adding that he was never appreciated in his country.
You were attacked in Afghanistan together with Fehti Vogli, what happened after that?
I spent about a month in the hospital in a coma, in 2012 I returned to work after recovering, and I also returned to serve in Agranistan. I had no special status after the injury.
Did you receive any compensation after the injury?
No, I had nothing. In 2014, I went to Afghanistan again and we paid 120 thousand old lek per day, and from this, with the new government, we were taxed about 30 thousand lek from the 10% we had before. We asked for the tax to be waived, we were promised that this would happen even by the Minister of Defense Mimi Kodheli herself. Only 5 of us were covered by insurance, and the conditions were very difficult.
The reaction to this request has been very harsh, as was also evident in the videos you broadcast. As far as I know, the tax has already been lifted for the other contingents. The other two colleagues who were with me in this request were removed from the unit as soon as we returned to Albania, while they could not remove me because I was injured. When I asked for a rank, they told me that I could not get it. I saw that they were strict and finally decided to leave.
The justification given for the rank was:
Because there were people who didn't care about ranks, but about work. I just wanted to leave Albania. For 7 years I worked in the special forces, I came to America thanks to the help of a colleague who is here in the US, and he was injured with me in Afghanistan.
I did not desert, I left first, I applied to leave. I seek a better future, for myself and for my family. I have received more appreciation for the missions I have carried out here than in my own country.
In Albania they don't want to know what you've done and who you are, while here the fact that I've served in missions is highly valued. I'm looking forward to one day being part of the US Armed Forces. I've submitted the documents and application, now I'm waiting. My family is in Albania.
You have two daughters:
One of the girls is four years old and the other is two, I left them in Albania, I'm waiting for the procedures to be completed and I can take them here too.
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