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Fierce Fighting Breaks out Between Government Forces, Ethnic Albanian Reblers in Macedonia
Fierce fighting broke out between the Macedonian security forces and ethnic Albanian rebels Wednesday in western Tetovo and northern Kumanove, news reports form Skopje said Wednesday.
Antonio Milososki, the spokesman for the Macedonian government, was quoted as saying by news reports that five Macedonian soldiers were killed and three others wounded in a rebel ambush late Tuesday to early Wednesday in the village of Gajre near the northern town of Tetovo.
"This is the most serious clash between Macedonian forces and ethnic Albanian rebels in the area since April 29," he said. In the April 29 ambush by ethnic Albanian rebels, eight Macedonian soldiers were killed and two others wounded.
According to the spokesman, fighting also occurred on mid-day Wednesday in the villages of Slupcani and Likove near the northern city of Kumanove. A number of rebles were reportedly killed and wounded. Local media reports said ethnic Albanian rebels had cut the supply of tap water to Kumanove.
On the evening of the same day, the spokesman said an ethnic clash swept the southeastern city of Bitola, the hometown of three of the five dead soldiers killed in Tetova. The clash left three people wounded and 25 Albanian-operated shops were robbed and burned. Martial law was enforced in the city after the clash.
Macedonian Defense Minister Vlado Buckovski, who attended the Southeast European Defense Ministers Meeting in the northern town of Salonica, returned home. In a live TV speech Wednesday night, Buckovski said, "It is a long-term and tough struggle against terrorism. We should also launch political and diplomatic attacks on the terrorists in addition to military attacks."
The Macedonian defense minister also urged NATO and NATO-led peace-keeping troops in Kosovo as well as the international community to help rid his country of the terrorists.
With a view of the tough situation at home, "The prime minister and the government consider that a state of war must be declared in order to carry out a general mobilization. Macedonia has been deluding itself for the past four months on the possibility that the conflict can be solved peacefully through dialogue," the spokesman said.
But NATO senior foreign affairs and security chief Javier Solana urged Macedonia to show moderation in the face of the attacks.
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