The Ljuboten clashes, (

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may specifically refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North M ...

: Љуботенските судири,

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

: Përplasjet e Lubotenit), also referred to as the Ljubotenski Bacila massacre, (

: Масакрот на Љуботенски Бачила), happened on 10 August, 2001, when an Macedonian Army truck convoy composed of reservists ran over a landmine near the village of

Ljuboten Ljuboten ( Serbian and mk, ) or Luboten (in Albanian) is a peak of the Šar Mountains located on the border between Kosovo and North Macedonia. Its elevation is . Ljuboten, although not the highest peak of the range, is somewhat isolated fr ...

, killing eight men. Immediately after the attack fighting between

Albanian rebels Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

and Macedonian forces erupted. The Macedonian government officially blamed the NLA for the attack. The leader of the NLA,

Ali Ahmeti Ali Ahmeti ( mk, Али Ахмети; born 5 January 1959) is a Macedonian politician of Albanian descent, leader of the Democratic Union for Integration, and a junior coalition partner in the Macedonian government since 2008. Ahmeti is also kno ...

, did not confirm NLA involvement in planting the mines, suggested the devices might have been placed by government forces to prevent rebel crossings, and expressed his regret at the incident.

Aftermath

Two days after the attack, Macedonian forces surrounded Ljuboten and killed ten Albanian civilians. The Macedonian Army surrounded Ljuboten and shelled the village with helicopters and heavy artillery, during the shelling 2 Albanian civilians, one elderly man and a 6-year-old girl were killed. Following the shelling Macedonian reservists entered the village and started to carry out the killing of six individuals, shooting them either in the head or the back, including a 6-year-old boy. Later one man was stabbed to death in the presence of his paralyzed father. The remains of a 35-year-old man were also found near the village, by his relatives, 6 days after the incident. On 12th June 2001, a small faction of NLA fighters led by deserted from the NLA to return to Ljuboten. Their primary objective was to rescue wounded civilians in the village amid the ongoing massacre. Muzafer Agushi lost his life on that very day. After a investigation by the

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, it was concluded that no NLA members were present in the village during the incident.

References

2001 insurgency in Macedonia Attacks in 2001 Ambushes in Europe Massacres in North Macedonia August 2001 events in Europe {{NorthMacedonia-hist-stub