Raduša shootout
Date11 May 2010
Location
Raduša, Skopje near border with Kosovo[1]
Result

Macedonian police victory[1]

  • Armed group neutralized[1]
  • Weapons and uniforms seized[1]
Belligerents
 Macedonia NLA veterans[1]
Commanders and leaders
Pres. Gjorge Ivanov
PM Nikola Gruevski
Gordana Jankuloska		 Harun Aliu †[2]
Shaban Zenuni †[1]
Kemal Mustafa †[1]
Xhafer Sala †[1]
Units involved
Macedonian Police Unknown
Strength
Unknown 4 militants[1]
Casualties and losses
None[3] 4 killed[1]

The Raduša shootout was a shootout between the Macedonian police forces and 4 veterans of the NLA near the village of Raduša close to the Kosovo border, who were smuggling weapons.[1] The Macedonian police recovered a large quantity of weapons and NLA uniforms in their vehicle.

Background

The village of Raduša was a frequent spot for skirmishes and battles during the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia such as the Battle of Raduša between the Macedonian security forces and the NLA. The town is located on a road that guards the water supply for the city of Skopje and the Kosovo border. The Kosovo border region is frequently grounds for battles with armed Albanian insurgents and Macedonian security forces such as Operation Mountain Storm three years previously.

Weeks before the Macedonian police forces found several bunkers on the Kosovo border filled with weapons and ammunition including heavy weapons such as machine guns, RPG's, anti-tank mines, explosives and detonators, one bunker was found in the village of Blace, where Macedonian police were also fired upon by several men. Macedonian media suspected a connection between the bunkers and the armed group but the Macedonian police refused to speculate.[4][5]

Police action

The shootout occurred at 2AM when members of a Special Police Unit were fired upon by the group after they refused to stop at the request of the police forces. The armed were operating a white van and were members of the NLA during the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia who were smuggling weapons and explosives to Kosovo, three of the men were local Albanians while one was a citizen from Kosovo which the Macedonian police forces claimed was a known criminal who had escaped from prison. The Macedonian security forces found large quantities of weapons and explosives at the sight both old and new models, including TNT explosives, anti-tank mines, mortar rounds, grenades and uniforms and emblems of the NLA and claimed the men were planning to destabilize not just Macedonia but the wider region. Albanian politicians from Macedonia refused to comment on the incident.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 [Dy dëshmorët e Shqipërisë etnike: Harun Aliu dhe Shaban Zenuni, të rënë në Radushë të Shkupit më 12 maj 2010 "Dy dëshmorët e Shqipërisë etnike: Harun Aliu dhe Shaban Zenuni, të rënë në Radushë të Shkupit më 12 maj 2010"]. radiokosovaelire (in Albanian). Retrieved 16 October 2022. Në aksionin policisë së Shkupit në afërsi të Radushës, natën vonë policia kishte zënë pritë dhe pa asnjë paralajmërim kishte filluar të godasë furgonin ku ndodheshin katër veteranët e luftërave çlirimtare, në mesin e tyre edhe Harun Aliu. Së bashku më të janë vrarë mizorisht, në pritë, Shaban Zenuni nga Merova e Tetovës, Kemal Mustafa nga Gërçeci i Shkupit dhe Xhafer Shala nga Dukagjini i Kosovës. In the action of the Skopje police in the vicinity of Radusha, late at night the police were ambushed and without any warning began to hit the van containing the four veterans of the liberation wars, including Harun Aliu. Shaban Zenuni from Merova in Tetova, Kemal Mustafa from Gërceci in Skopje and Xhafer Shala from Dukagjini in Kosovo have been brutally killed together in an ambush. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  2. ↑ https://www.radiokosovaelire.com/harun-aliu-20-5-1971-12-5-2010/
  3. ↑ "Macedonian police kill four in shootout". B92. 5 December 2010. Retrieved 16 October 2022. The sources added that there were no police officers injured in the armed clash.
  4. ↑ "Пронајден нов бункер со оружје кај Блаце". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). Retrieved 16 October 2022. Големо количество оружје, меѓу кое и тешки митралези, рачни фрлачи на гранати, противтенковски мини, експлозиви и детонатори, беа откриени и запленети и во акцијата што полицијата вчера ја спроведе во близина на Блаце. Во меѓувреме, косовските медиуми објавија дека полицијата во Косово веќе уапсила тројца луѓе за кои постои сомневање дека се вмешани во вчерашната престрелка со полицијата кај граничниот премин Блаце A large amount of weapons, including heavy machine guns, hand grenade launchers, anti-tank mines, explosives and detonators, were also discovered and seized in the operation that the police carried out yesterday near Blace. Meanwhile, Kosovo media reported that the police in Kosovo have already arrested three people who are suspected of being involved in yesterday's shootout with the police at the Blace border crossing.
  5. ↑ "Четворица убиени кај Радуша". Deutsche Welle (in Macedonian). Retrieved 16 October 2022. Ова е втора акција на македонската полиција во рок од две недели. Неодамна, кај Блаце беше откриен бункер и земуница со големо количество оружје и униформи на УЧК. На прашањето на Дојче веле, дали има поврзаност меѓу овие екстремистичко-криминални групи, кои функционираат на северната граница кон Косово, министерката за внатрешни работи Гордана Јанкуловска одговори: Дали има поврзаност на претходниот со новиот случај? Пред две недели беше запленето големо количество оружје и униформи на УЧК „Во оваа фаза на истрагата ние не би оделе со поврзување, односно со јавно објавување на информациите околу поврзаноста и дејствувањето на овие екстремистички групи. This is the second action of the Macedonian police within two weeks. Recently, a bunker and a dugout with a large amount of weapons and uniforms of the UCK was discovered near Blace. When asked by Deutsche Welle if there is a connection between these extremist-criminal groups, which operate on the northern border with Kosovo, Minister of the Interior Gordana Jankulovska answered: Is there a connection between the previous one and the new case? Two weeks ago, a large quantity of weapons and uniforms of the UCK was seized "At this stage of the investigation, we would not proceed with a connection, that is, with a public release of information about the connection and activities of these extremist groups.
  6. ↑ Marusic, Sinisa Jakov (12 May 2010). "Macedonian Police Kill Four Gunmen in Shootout". Balkan Insight. Retrieved 16 October 2022. Police officials say that the men killed were engaged in the illegal transportation of weapons from Kosovo to Macedonia, adding that the preliminary investigation shows that those killed were known to police previously for involvement in illegal activities. According to the police, the arms recovered in the incident varied from old to new. The police found TNT explosives, hand grenades, various mines, and mortar rounds. Uniforms and emblems of the National Liberation Army, NLA, were also found.
  7. ↑ "4 killed in shoot-out on Macedonia-Kosovo border". Chinadaily. Retrieved 16 October 2022. Police spokesman Ivo Kotevski said the four were killed in the area of Radusa village when police intercepted them attempting to smuggle weapons across the border from Kosovo. He says the four had been traveling in a van in which authorities found a large amount of weapons and explosives
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