Tearce attack

Tearce attack
Part of 2001 insurgency in Macedonia
Date22 January 2001
Location
Tearce, Macedonia
Result NLA victory
Belligerents
National Liberation Army North Macedonia Macedonia
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia Unknown
Units involved
112th Brigade Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia Macedonian Police
Casualties and losses
None Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia 1 policeman killed[1]
Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia 3 injured[2]

The Tearce attack was an attack carried out by the National Liberation Army on a Macedonian police station in Tearce, North Macedonia. This attack marked the beginning of the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia.[3] As a result of the attack, one police officer was killed and three others were injured and the NLA captured Tearce.[4]

Attack

The attack took place on 22 January 2001, on a Monday at 2:00 AM in the village of Tearce, which is inhabited largely by ethnic Albanians.[5] During the attack, three or four NLA militants armed with a Chinese rocket launcher and two Kalashnikovs attacked a Macedonian police station. The militants killed the police officer Momir Stojanovski in the attack, who was killed by the RPG grenade, while three other policemen were seriously injured.[6][7][8] The injuries were believed to have been sustained from the two grenades fired at the station.[9]

Aftermath

The NLA claimed responsibility for the attack. After the attack in Tearce, the village was held by the NLA.[10] However, Macedonian police reported that the militants operated independently. Police spokesman Stevo Pendarovski reported, "These extreme radical individuals are not part of an organised group."[8]

The attack in Tearce resulted in the beginning of the insurgency.[4][11] It was designated as a terrorist attack by the Macedonian Ministry of Interior.[12]

References

  1. ^ https://www.slobodenpecat.mk/en/angelov-na-20-godishninata-od-napadot-vrz-ps-vo-tearcze-da-ne-se-zaboravi-za-da-ne-ni-se-povtori/
  2. ^ "CER | Macedonia: Destabilisation?".
  3. ^ Daskalovski, zidas. THE MACEDONIAN CONFLICT OF 2001: BETWEEN SUCCESSFUL DIPLOMACY, RHETORIC AND TERROR. p. 7.
  4. ^ a b "That's the police station, that was". The Economist. 25 October 2001.
  5. ^ Димовски, Сашко (22 January 2021). "Angelov on the 20th anniversary of the attack on PS in Tearce: Not to be forgotten so that it does not happen again". Слободен печат. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  6. ^ Димовски, Зоран (21 January 2023). "22 years ago, the first victim of the military conflict fell in Tearce, marking the anniversary of the death of police officer Momir Stojanovski - Free Press". Слободен печат. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  7. ^ Naegele, Jolyon (9 April 2008). "2001 In Review: NATO 'Dodges A Bullet' In Macedonia, Southern Serbia". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  8. ^ a b Latifi, Veton (14 February 2001). "Skopje Dismisses KLA Bombing Link". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. ^ Pritchard, Eleanor (26 January 2001). "News from Macedonia". Central Europe Review. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  10. ^ Phillips, John (2004). Macedonia : warlords and rebels in the Balkans. Internet Archive. New Haven, CT : Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10268-0.
  11. ^ "20 Years On, Armed Conflict's Legacy Endures in North Macedonia". Balkan Insight. 22 January 2021.
  12. ^ White Book: Terrorism of the So-Called NLA. Skopje: Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia. 2001. p. 109. Archived from the original on 5 March 2015.