The Ambush near Tanuševci was an attack by Albanian rebels of the
NLA, near the village of
Tanuševci
Tanuševci ( mk, Танушевци, sq, Tanushë) is a village in the municipality of Čučer-Sandevo, Republic of North Macedonia.
Name
The name comes from the Albanian name Tanush.
Demographics
As of the 2021 census, Tanuševci had 304 res ...
on March 4, 2001 during the
Insurgency in Macedonia.
Ambush
Background
On February 26 2001 fighting broke out in the village. By the 2nd of March 2001, 100 Albanian rebels had occupied Tanuševci and the forest around it.
Fighting
Albanian insurgents planted landmines on a road leading to Tanuševci. At 7:30 AM an
ARM
In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between the ...
vehicle hit the landmines, killing two soldiers. At 8 AM the rebels opened fire at army forces, killing one soldier.
Aftermath
The European Union condemned the attack.
Due to the ambush, Macedonia closed its border with
Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
.
Macedonian authorities sent around 3,000 to 4,000 men to tackle the rebels, but within days the rebellion spread around nearby villages. Around 500 residents of Tanuševci, mainly women and children, fled into Kosovo.
References
{{Reflist
History of North Macedonia
History of Kosovo