Battle of Tanuševci

The Battle of Tanuševci was the first gun battle between the National Liberation Army (NLA) and the Macedonian security forces in the insurgency in Macedonia.^[3]

Battle of Tanuševci
Part of the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia
Date 16 February–1 March 2001 Location Tanuševci, Macedonia Result NLA victory Territorial changes NLA captures Tanuševci on 1 March 2001[1]
Belligerents
National Liberation Army	Macedonia
Commanders and leaders
Xhezair Shaqiri[2]	Unknown
Units involved
113th Brigade "Ismet Jashari"	Macedonian Army
Strength
100 militants[1]	Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

Background

Main article: Tearce attack

Rebels belonging to the National Liberation Army (NLA) attacked Tearce's police station, resulting in the death of one policeman and injuries to three others. This incident ultimately triggered the 2001 Insurgency in Macedonia.^[4]

Battle

The village of Tanuševci became involved in conflict on 17 February 2001, when masked NLA militants entered the area and kidnapped a TV filming crew.^[5][6] In response, Macedonian police attempted to enter the village on the same day but were met with fierce gunfire from the NLA militants, sparking the beginning of the battle in the village.^[7] On February 26, 2001, Macedonian forces engaged in battle with the NLA that lasted for several hours. Ultimately, the Macedonian forces succeeded in forcing the NLA to retreat across the border into Kosovo.^[8][9] Shortly after their retreat to Kosovo, the NLA made another attempt to gain control over the village once more and as of 1 March 2001, the NLA expelled the Macedonian forces and established control over Tanuševci.^[10][1]

Aftermath

Main article: Ambush near Tanuševci

On 2 March, NATO provided reassurances to Macedonia, stating that it was actively monitoring the activities of a group of approximately 100 ethnic Albanian insurgents who had taken control of the village of Tanusevci after the Battle. Additionally, NATO restated its commitment to the matter.^[1]

On 4 March, NLA insurgents ambushed Macedonian troops near Tanuševci. A police vehicle ran over a mine, killing two Macedonian policemen. The rebels opened fire at army forces, resulting in the death of one soldier.^{[11][12][10][13][14]}

References

1. Bideleux, Robert; Jeffries, Ian (2007-01-24). The Balkans: A Post-Communist History. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-58328-7.
2. Vickers, Miranda; Pettifer, James (2006-10-27). The Albanian Question: Reshaping the Balkans. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85771-024-6. Xhezair Shaqiri (Commander Hoxha), who led the first NLA group into Tanusche village in mid-February 2001, have challenged the views of Ahmeti and others about some events.
3. Petersen, Roger D. (2011-09-30). Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50330-3.
4. Daskalovski, zidas. THE MACEDONIAN CONFLICT OF 2001: BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL DIPLOMACY, RHETORIC AND TERROR. p. 7.
5. Hudson, R.; Bowman, G. (2011-11-22). After Yugoslavia: Identities and Politics within the Successor States. Springer. ISBN 978-0-230-30513-7.
6. Born, Hans; Caparini, Marina; Haltiner, Karl; Kuhlmann, Jürgen (2006-09-27). Civil-Military Relations in Europe: Learning from Crisis and Institutional Change. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-17238-2.
7. Battersby, Paul; Siracusa, Joseph M.; Ripiloski, Sasho (2011-01-19). Crime Wars: The Global Intersection of Crime, Political Violence, and International Law. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-39147-7.
8. Daskalovski, Zidas (2004). The Macedonian Conflict Of 2001: Between Successful Diplomacy, Rhetoric And Terror (PDF). Centre for Post-Communist Studies, St. Francis Xavier University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
9. Petersen, Roger D. (2011-09-30). Western Intervention in the Balkans: The Strategic Use of Emotion in Conflict. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-139-50330-3.
10. Jeffries, Ian (2002-05-16). The Former Yugoslavia at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century: A Guide to the Economies in Transition. Routledge. p. 256. ISBN 978-1-134-46050-2. Macedonia yesterday [1 March] ratified a long-awaited border treaty with Serbia, in spite of tensions over the occupation of a mountain village by ethnic Albanian extremists from Kosovo. The takeover at Tanusevci, close to the border with Serbia, poses the most serious threat to Macedonia's stability since the Kosovo conflict …
11. Škariḱ, Svetomir (2002). Law, Force and Peace: Macedonia and Kosovo. Tri D. p. 626. ISBN 978-9989-677-03-8.
12. Watch (Organization), Human Rights (2001). Landmine Monitor Report 2001: Toward a Mine-free World. Human Rights Watch. ISBN 978-1-56432-262-3.
13. Nations, United (1947). Yearbook of the United Nations. Department of Public Information, United Nations. p. 368. ISBN 978-92-1-100897-5.
14. Bulletin of the European Union. European Commission, Secretariat-General. 2001. p. 86.