Operation Mountain Storm

:"For the U.S. operation, see Military operations of the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)"Warbox
conflict=Operation Mountain Storm
partof=
campaign=


caption=The fighting occurred just north of Tetovo (marked on map of Macedonia)
date=November 7, 2007
place=The north-west of the Republic of Macedonia: the Sub-Šar Mountains villages Brodec, Vesala and Vejce
result=Militants defeated
combatant1=flagicon|Macedonia Police of the Republic of Macedonia
combatant2=flagicon|Albania Political Advisory Body of the Kosovo Liberation Army [ [http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=08&nav_id=45212 B92 - News - Region - Albanian group claims responsibility for Tetovo clashes ] ]
commander1=
commander2=
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=None
casualties2=6 killed
12 captured|

Operation Mountain Storm (Macedonian: Операција Планинска бура, "Operacija Planinska bura") was an action carried by the police of the Republic of Macedonia on November 7 2007 against alleged armed Albanian criminals in the Šar Mountains area of western Republic of Macedonia. The Sub-Šar Mountains villages Brodec, Vesala and Vejce near Tetovo were involved in the fighting. [ [http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=07&nav_id=45182 B92 - News - Region - Eight Albanians dead in clash with Macedonian police ] ]

Background

The armed group was thought to be headed by Lirim Jakupi, a convicted criminal who escaped with seven other men in a violent break-out from Kosovo's Dubrava Prison in August 2007 and was believed to be hiding in the area. Xhavid Morina, another escaped convict from Dubrava Prison, was found dead near Odri, a village close to Tetovo the week before. Also, in late October, one police officer was killed and two other were injured when they came under fire in the vicinity of the village of Tanusevci, where the 2001 ethnic conflict started. The interior ministry said smugglers were believed to be responsible for that attack and that the incident was not related to ethnic tensions. [ [http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5714/ BIRN ] ] [ [http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=89583&NrIssue=498&NrSection=10 Makfax vesnik ] ]

The operation

The Macedonian Interior Ministry reported that six gunmen were killed and twelve arrested in the operation. Four others had been arrested in Skopje before the clash. Various weapons, including bombs, ammunition, automatic weapons and rocket launchers were recovered by police. Police helicopters were involved in the operation. [ [http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5714/ BIRN ] ]

A witness told that he saw men in uniforms bearing the insignia of the UCK, a disbanded Albanian guerrilla force, patrolling the village the previous day. According to this witness, one house in the village had burned and the local mosque had been damaged by gunfire.

KFOR, the NATO force in Kosovo, increased its troop level on the Kosovo side of the border since the start of the Macedonian operation. [ [http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5714/ BIRN ] ]

KFOR claimed that a helicopter went down in the area, but that it did not belong to the NATO forces in the province. The Macedonian Interior Ministry denied that claim. [ [http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=07&nav_id=45182 B92 - News - Region - Eight Albanians dead in clash with Macedonian police ] ] KFOR sources denied that a helicopter was downed on the Kosovo side of the border and maintained that they did not know if any helicopter was shot down on the Macedonian side. [ [http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/novina/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=89546&NrIssue=498&NrSection=10 Makfax vesnik ] ]

Weapons seized

The weapons seized in the operation included three mortars along with 111 grenades, two non-recoil cannons with 40 grenades, electronically guided anti-tank missile system "9M111 Fagot", four anti-aircraft missile launchers, four anti-aircraft missile systems "Strela 2", nine RPGs "M80 "Zolja"", two grenade launchers "M79 "Osa"" along with seven missiles, six rocket-propelled grenade launchers RPG along with 132 grenades, one 40mm hand-held grenade launcher MGL-6, hand grenades F1 (58 pieces), 61 land mines, anti-tank mines (29 pieces), four sniper rifles, nine machine guns, 31 trotile charges, two packages containing plastic explosive, and other weapons. [ [http://www.a1.com.mk/vesti/default.asp?VestID=85964 Полицијата ја гони групата на Јакупи за тероризам ] ]

Claim of responsibility

On November 8 2007, a group of ethnic-Albanians from Serbia’s Kosovo province took responsibility for the shootout with Macedonian police. The self-declared "Political Advisory Body of the Kosovo Liberation Army" issued a statement claiming its members were forced to form armed units to protect endangered Albanian nationals in the Serbia-Macedonia region. [ [http://www.b92.net/eng/news/region-article.php?yyyy=2007&mm=11&dd=08&nav_id=45212 B92 - News - Region - Albanian group claims responsibility for Tetovo clashes ] ]

References

ee also

*2001 Macedonia conflict
*Military history of the Republic of Macedonia