Operation MH ( mk, Операција МХ) was the first major offensive by the combined forces of the
Macedonian Army and
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
forces in the
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 ...
. The goal of the operation was to dislodge the
NLA forces which were entrenched in
Tetovo
Tetovo ( mk, Тетово, , sq, Tetovë/Tetova) is a city in the northwestern part of North Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River. The municipality of Tetovo covers an area of at above sea level, w ...
and the hills and villages in its vicinity.
Prelude
Weeks prior Albanian rebels had taken control of the Tetovo fortress and several villages in the Tetovo municipality where sporadic fighting occurred between Macedonian security forces and Albanian rebels. The government conducted so called "search and sweep operations" that lead to several arrests
Execution of the Operation MH
The operation started at 7am on 25 March with an hour long artillery barrage followed by Macedonian Army units moving in to encircle the villages held by the rebels. Helicopters covered the retreat and reinforcement routes that lead to
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 ...
, during the first phase of the battle stiff resistance was encountered in the village of
Gajre and
Šipkovica which was overcome with the assistance of police special forces and fresh reserves. The fall of Šipkovica and Gajre opened the path for the capture of the Tetovo fortress which was accomplished by the
Macedonian Special Forces. According to Macedonian sources the rebels were fleeing in panic across the mountains leaving weapons and uniforms behind while Albanian sources called it a tactical retreat
See also
*
Operation Vaksince
Operation Vaksince was a military operation launched by the Macedonian security forces against Albanian insurgents belonging to the NLA, which was at the time launching a campaign of guerrilla attacks against facilities of the Macedonian Govern ...
*
Operation MH-2
Operation MH-2 ( mk, Операција МХ-2) was the first major battle in the Kumanovo Karadak region during the insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia.
Execution of the Operation MH - 2
Macedonian forces started to demine the fields at 8 a. ...
References
{{reflist, 30em
2001 insurgency in Macedonia
2001 in the Republic of Macedonia