In the beginning of the First Balkan War, the Ottoman army was supported by some Albanian volunteers and irregulars; the Ottoman authorities supplied Isa Boletini's men with 65,000 rifles and to protect Albanian lands within the empire he fought by their side which disappointed Serbia. It was reported in the Serbian press that during the surrender of Albanian rebels at Lumë on 16 November 1912, that Boletini and his men had managed to escape. The following historical account of events (uncorroborated by any other researcher of Albanian origin or otherwise) is from Isa Blumi, a researcher on Turkish Studies, based in Sweden. On 28 November 1912 in Vlora the Albanian National Assembly proclaimed independence. Ismail Qemali refused to wait for Isa Boletini and other Albanian leaders of the Kosovo Vilayet and hastily made the declaration. The southern elite wanted to prevent Boletini's plans to assert himself as a key political figure and used him to suite their military needs.