Operation MH () was the first major offensive by the combined forces of the
Macedonian Army and
police
The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...
forces in the
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
The 2001 insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanians in North Macedonia, Albanian National Liberation Army (North Macedonia), National Liberation Army (NLA) insurgent group, formed from veter ...
. The goal of the operation was to dislodge the
NLA forces which were entrenched in
Tetovo
Tetovo (, ; , sq-definite, Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Å ar Mountain and divided by the Pena (river), Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, wit ...
and the hills and villages in its vicinity.
Prelude
Weeks prior Albanian rebels had taken control of the Tetovo fortress and several villages in the Tetovo municipality where sporadic fighting occurred between Macedonian security forces and Albanian rebels. The government conducted so called "search and sweep operations" that lead to several arrests.
Execution of the Operation MH
The operation started at 7am on 25 March with an hour long artillery barrage followed by Macedonian Army units moving in to encircle the villages held by the rebels. Helicopters covered the retreat and reinforcement routes that lead to
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, during the first phase of the battle stiff resistance was encountered in the village of
Gajre and
Å ipkovica which was overcome with the assistance of police special forces and fresh reserves. The fall of Å ipkovica and Gajre opened the path for the capture of the Tetovo fortress which was accomplished by the
Macedonian Special Forces.
According to Macedonian sources the rebels were fleeing in panic across the mountains leaving weapons and uniforms behind while Albanian sources called it a tactical retreat.
See also
*
Operation MH-1
*
Operation Vaksince
A military engagement between the Macedonian security forces and Albanian insurgents belonging to the National Liberation Army (Albanians of Macedonia), NLA occurred in the village of Vaksince, which was at the time launching a campaign of guer ...
*
Operation MH-2
Notes
References
{{reflist, 30em
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
2001 in the Republic of Macedonia