2001 Skopje police raid

Macedonian police operation Skopje police raid the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia 7 August 2001 Skopje, Macedonia Macedonian victoryMacedonia rebels killed in raid https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/08/07/macedonia.setback2220/index.html CNN 7 August 2001 SKOPJE, Macedonia -- Five ethnic Albanian rebels have been killed in a police raid to seize illegal weapons, Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski has said.Macedonia Police Kill Five Rebels in Skopje https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/70679/Macedonia-Police-Kill-Five-Rebels-in-Skopje Tehran Times 15 October 2022 8 August 2001 SKOPJE -- Macedonian police killed five alleged ethnic Albanian rebels in a raid on a house in Skopje on Tuesday in a new blow to hopes of a peaceful end to a five-month guerrilla rebellion. "A terrorist group was preparing an attack on Skopje and the police carried out an operation early this morning," Minister Ljube Boskovski told Reuters.Дали Охридскиот договор спречи граѓанска војна? https://civilmedia.mk/dali-ohridskiot-dogovor-sprechi-graganska-vojna/ Civil Media mk 13 August 2019 Macedonian Police insignia.png 25px Macedonian police Uck Nla logo.svg 22px National Liberation Army Macedonian Police insignia.png 25px Ljube Boškoski 23px Lefter Koxhaj Special police unit "Tigers" 23px Skanderbeg special unitM Xh 2022-08-07 21 vite nga rënia e komandant Telit, djali: Bashkë me shokët shkruat historinë https://www.zhurnal.mk/21-vite-nga-renia-e-komandant-telit-djali-bashke-me-shoket-shkruat-historine/ 2023-06-20 Agjencia Zhurnal.mk. sq Macedonian Police insignia.png 25px 200+ policemenFive rebels shot dead by police in Skopje as peace edges closer https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/five-rebels-shot-dead-by-police-in-skopje-as-peace-edges-closer-9178262.html The Independent 15 September 2023 8 August 2001 23px Unknown Macedonian Police insignia.png 25px NoneRUBIN ALISSA J. RUBIN Macedonian Police Kill 5 Separatists in Raid https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-aug-08-mn-31738-story.html Los Angeles Times 16 October 2022 There were no police injuries reported in the incident, the first of its kind in Skopje since the current conflict erupted in February. 23px 5 killedMacedonian Police Kill 5 Albanian Rebels https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/08/world/macedonian-police-kill-5-albanian-rebels.html 8 August 2001 Associated Press The New York Times 15 October 2022 Police officers killed five Macedonian Albanian rebels today and seized illegal weapons in a raid that the interior minister said was intended to avert an attack on the capital, Skopje. 30 arrestedMacedonia rebels killed in raid https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/08/07/macedonia.setback2220/index.html CNN 15 October 2022 A total of 30 people had been arrested in the police crackdown, Boskovski said.4 detained During the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, a raid was conducted by the Macedonian police against ethnic Albanian rebels in a suburb of Skopje on 7 August. The police killed the rebel group and captured their weapon supplies. Raid The Macedonian special police unit "Tigers" performed a raid on 7 August 2001, in the Skopje suburb of Čair around 4:00a.m. (UTC+2).Five rebels shot dead by police in Skopje as peace edges closer https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/five-rebels-shot-dead-by-police-in-skopje-as-peace-edges-closer-9178262.html The Independent 15 September 2023 8 August 2001Defence Academy of the United Kingdom 2004 The 2001 Conflict in FYROM-Reflections https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/44460/2001_Confl_FYROM.pdf 34 Five rebels were killed by the police in the raid. National Liberation Army (NLA) commander Lefter Koxhaj, also known as Commander Teli, was among those killed. According to the Macedonian interior minister Ljube Boškovski, the Macedonian police acted on information that NLA rebels were planning an attack on the capital and that they would attack from the nearby village of Aračinovo, the site of the Aračinovo crisis a month prior, after which they were evacuated by NATO forces. During the fighting in Aračinovo, the rebels claimed they would attack the capital city of Skopje, including the airport and oil refinery and that they had infiltrated cells ready to attack.Macedonian Albanian guerillas threaten to attack cities... https://reliefweb.int/report/former-yugoslav-republic-macedonia/macedonian-albanian-guerillas-threaten-attack-cities Reliefweb 16 October 2022 Commander Drin Korabi of the National Liberation Army (UCK) told dpa on 26 June that the protests "showed that Macedonians and the Macedonian government want a civil war with the Albanians." He added: "We warn them that our fighters will enter not only Skopje, but Kumanovo and other towns as well, if they continue avoiding dialogue with Albanians." His last point presumably refers to the authorities' refusal to negotiate with the UCK. Korabi said that the UCK has underground fighters in Skopje "waiting for a signal to act." He added that "we have the ability to take more territories under our control" if no political settlement is reached. PMMacedonian government launches new attack on rebels https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/jun/11/balkans1 The Guardian 16 October 2022 11 June 2001 On Sunday, a rebel leader known as Commander Hoxha said that they would attack "the airport, oil refineries, police stations in towns and other government installations," if the government targeted rebel forces in the north or in Aracinovo, a town just a few miles southeast of Skopje taken by the insurgents on Saturday. Per Boškovski, the police tried to arrest the rebels, encountered "strong armed resistance" and returned fire. He reported that 30 people were arrested in the police operation. The Macedonian police found a large quantity of weapons, including 6 assault rifles, 5 grenade launchers, 400 rounds of ammunition, 5 pistols, 3 grenades and combat uniforms. During the operation, four suspects were taken to the Gazi Baba police station for interrogation on suspicion of being members of the NLA.Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - "Where are they now"? Their families need to know! - Alleged "disappearances" and abductions in 2001 https://www.amnesty.org/fr/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/eur650042003en.pdf Amnesty International 12 June 2024 2003 3 Aftermath Karpalak ambush On the following day, an investigator of the Human Rights Watch who was on the scene, Peter Bouckaert, said there was no evidence of "strong armed resistance" and that the men were lying down when they were shot. According to a report in The Washington Post: "The house looked more like the scene of a summary execution. A reporter saw no signs that the victims had fired a shot at the raiders. Windows were closed, and no bullet holes nicked the walls or ceiling. The front door had not been forced open."John Phillips Macedonia: Warlords and Rebels in the Balkans 2004 Yale University Press 9781860648410 135 The Albanian-language news media reported the killing as a premeditated execution, describing the scene in detail.Kolstø Pål Media Discourse and the Yugoslav Conflicts: Representations of Self and Other 2009 Ashgate 9780754676294 188–189 The broadcasting of Albanian-language news on Macedonian Radio Television was interrupted for 23 days.Albert Simkus Ola Listhaug Civic and Uncivic Values in Macedonia: Value Transformation, Education and Media 2013 Palgrave Macmillan 9781137302823 242–243 Two suspects who were detained were released. Another suspect was kept in custody but later released in December 2001 following a presidential amnesty for members of the NLA. One suspect went missing. Ethnic Albanian politicians acknowledged the police raid and the deaths but refused to comment.Macedonian Police Kill 5 Albanian Rebels https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/08/world/macedonian-police-kill-5-albanian-rebels.html 8 August 2001 Associated Press The New York Times Describing the clash today with Albanian rebels in Cair, a suburb of Skopje, Interior Minister Ljube Boskovski said: The group was planning terrorist activities in Skopje. We tried to arrest them, but during the operation we encountered strong armed resistance.The police returned fire, and among those killed was a rebel commander known as Teli, Mr. Boskovski said. The deaths were confirmed by Macedonian Albanian officials. Members of the NLA and ethnic Albanians claimed the men were civilians.Krott Rob Macedonia's Weaponry: A New Nation Re-Arms and Fights https://smallarmsreview.com/macedonias-weaponry-a-new-nation-re-arms-and-fights/ The Smalls Arms Review 16 October 2022 She claimed the five men (who she of course did not know) were not Albanian terrorists. I wondered how these completely innocent men came to be in possession of a large arms cache. The raid made the front page of the Macedonian papers and in a photo of the contraband captured in the raid I counted at least six assault rifles, one scoped folding stock assault rifle, several loaded magazines, camouflage uniforms, and a large pile of ammo bandoliers for the South African Armscorp 40mm grenade launcherMacedonia battle rages https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/08/08/macedonia.talks.1230/ CNN 8 August 2001 16 October 2022 The rebels were apparently responding to the killings by Macedonian troops of five alleged rebels in Skopje on Tuesday. The rebels said they were civilians. 16 October 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20221016000935/https://edition.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/08/08/macedonia.talks.1230/ dead On 8 August, the NLA attacked a Macedonian army convoy near Tetovo in what would become known as Karpalak ambush, supposedly as retaliation for the five Albanians killed by the police during the raid. References Category:2001 insurgency in Macedonia Category:August 2001 in Europe Category:2000s in Skopje Category:Law enforcement operations