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Macedonian Troops Unleash New Attacks Against Ethnic Albanian Rebels
Macedonian government forces launched a new offensive on Wednesday against the ethnic Albanian extremists entrenched in strongholds along the border with Kosovo, said reports.
The government troops used artillery, tanks and helicopter gunships in the battle to push the extremists back to Kosovo. They infiltrated from Kosovo and fought with the Macedonian army and police.
The principal target of the latest and possibly final government operation to drive out the extremists was the village of Gracane. Macedonian police at the front lines said the village had been emptied of civilians before the bombardment began.
The extremists, who say they are fighting for greater rights and recognition for the former Yugoslav republic's minority ethnic Albanians, took up new positions in and around Tetovo, Macedonia's second-largest city, and vowed to fight back.
The conflict has displaced 25,000 civilians and left 47 people injured, including 32 soldiers and policemen, since it flared up on March 14 in the mostly Albanian-inhabited Tetovo region.
The government's offensive came a day after Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski declared victory over the rebels and hinted that negotiations could now take place for constitutional changes demanded by the country's ethnic Albanians, who account for one fourth of the country's population.
Both NATO and the European Union have been urging the Macedonian government to open a dialogue with the ethnic Albanian community to provide a political solution to the conflict.
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