Operation Essential Harvest (or Task Force Harvest) was a deployment mission in the
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
by
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
, officially launched on August 22, 2001, and effectively started on August 27. Because national contributions were larger than expected, the force ultimately grew to approximately 4,800 troops. Troops from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and members of the SAS working in the A.O.R. The operation was headquartered in a fruit processing plant called Tri Kruši in
Dracevo.
Background
"Although France was not a member of the NATO integrated command structure, then President
Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
had begun to reintegrate into the military structure of the Alliance in order to allow for French participation in combined operations in Bosnia under NATO command. . . . At the summit in
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...
on 12 June, Chirac's suggestion for military cooperation with German units within NATO was confirmed by
Schröder
Schröder (Schroeder) is a German language, German surname often associated with the Schröder family. Notable people with the surname include:
* Arthur Schröder (1892–1986), German actor
* Atze Schröder, stage name of German comedian Hubertu ...
and put in place by the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries on 5 July. Both countries cooperated in NATO Operation Essential Harvest – two German, two French and one Spanish companies were placed under the overall French Command."
Battle of Tetovo
The
Battle of Tetovo
, combatant3 =
, commander1 = Boris Trajkovski Ljubčo Georgievski Pande Petrovski Ljube Boškoski
, commander2 = Rahim Beqiri Hamdi Ndrecaj Gëzim Ostreni
, commander3 =
* George Robertson
* Guido Vent ...
occurred in the beginning of January 2001 which also involved NATO and the Macedonian Armies to disarm Albanian insurgents who had occupied a number of cities, towns and villages in the
Republic of Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
. This battle lasted until November 2001.
Operation Amber Fox
Following the conclusion of Operation Essential Harvest and at the request of the Macedonian President, NATO established
Operation Amber Fox, to allow for a continuing NATO presence in the country.
See also
*
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
The 2001 insurgency in Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) militant group, formed from veterans of the Kosovo War and Insurgency in the Preševo Valley, attacked Macedonian secu ...
*
Operation Amber Fox
References
Further reading
Press Briefing held on 12 September 2001 at the NATO Press Centre in Skopje NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
.
{{Yugoslav wars
Essential Harvest
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
NATO intervention in the former Yugoslavia
Essential Harvest
Essential Harvest
Essential Harvest