Brest attack
Part of the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia
Date10 March 2001
Location
Brest, Čučer-Sandevo, Macedonia
Result NLA victory
Belligerents
National Liberation Army  Macedonia
Commanders and leaders
Xhezair Shaqiri[1]
Nazmi Sulejmani[2]		 Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia Ljube Boškoski[3]
Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia Refet Elmazi[4]
Law enforcement in the Republic of Macedonia Aleksandar Dončev[3]
Units involved
113th Brigade "Ismet Jashari"[5] Special Support Unit[3]
Strength
30+ insurgents (police estimate)[3] 100 policemen[6]
Casualties and losses
None 1 killed[7][3][8][4]

The Brest attack was an attack by Albanian rebels of the National Liberation Army (NLA), near the village of Brest on 10 March 2001 during the insurgency in Macedonia.[7][9][4] Albanian rebels ambushed a Macedonian convoy, after they were defeated and forced to withdraw by KFOR troops in the village of Tanuševci.

Attack

After the Tanuševci operation, a Macedonian police convoy was sent to establish presence near the border to Kosovo and to try to prevent an Albanian insurgency from taking hold in the area, but found itself trapped in an ambush by the NLA.[10] According to Macedonian police estimates, there were around 30 insurgents.[3] Immediately after the ambush an hour-long battle involving artillery and heavy mortars erupted, after which most of the Macedonian convoy managed to escape.[10][4] The fighting left one dead from the Macedonian Security forces.[3][7][11] After the firefight the NLA established control in Molino and Brest and the insurgency spread to wider parts of the country.[10]

Aftermath

While the Macedonian convoy was able to break through the ambush, they were forced to seal off the village.[12][7] The NLA took control of Molino and Brest, and the insurgency spread to wider parts in Macedonia[10][6][7][3]

According to the Macedonian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the main motive behind the attack by the NLA was their resentment over the Ministry's establishment of cooperation with the local population, among whom there were those who volunteered to work in the planned reserve police stations.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Macedonia: Rebels: Ethnic Albanian rebel forces near the border". newsroom.ap.org. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  2. ↑ "Xhezair Shaqiri: Komandant Arusha luftoi në betejat më të vështira të UÇK-së në Brezë, Mateç dhe Haraçinë!". Bota Sot. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kolevska, S. (10 March 2001). "Полициски конвој 20 часа во терористички обрач во Брест, загина полицаец" [Полициски конвој 20 часа во терористички обрач во Брест, загина полицаец] (in Macedonian). Вест. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-01-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Macedonian convoy escapes ambush". BBC. 9 March 2001. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Xhezair Shaqiri: Komandant Arusha luftoi në betejat më të vështira të UÇK-së në Brezë, Mateç dhe Haraçinë!". Bota Sot. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  6. 1 2 "Ceasefire hopes for Kosovo borders". CNN. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Ethnic Albanian Extremists Ambush Macedonian Vehicle, Killing Policeman". People's Daily. 9 March 2001. Retrieved 4 January 2023. Police have sent reinforcement to the area and managed to evacuate the convoy. The area has also been sealed off, the source said.
  8. ↑ Gall, Carlotta (9 March 2001). "G.I.'s Join Macedonians in Fight Against Albanian Rebels". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Vulnerability of former Yugoslav NATO (Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia) and non-NATO (Bosnia- Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Serbia) states". Defending Eastern Europe. Manchester University Press. 24 August 2021. doi:10.7765/9781526147578.00013. ISBN 9781526147578. S2CID 242656223. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Gall, Carlotta (2001-03-10). "Rebel Ambush Traps Macedonian Police and 2 Officials". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-08. claimed the lives of four members of the Macedonian security forces.
  11. ↑ Gall, Carlotta (9 March 2001). "G.I.'s Join Macedonians in Fight Against Albanian Rebels". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  12. ↑ "Rebel Ambush Traps Macedonian Police and 2 Officials". The New York Times. 10 March 2001. Retrieved 20 November 2022. Later today, Macedonian police officers in flak jackets and helmets barred the narrow mountain road that winds up to the villages of Brest and Gusince. The shooting had quieted down about dawn, they said, but the convoy had not moved for fear of mines on the unpaved road.
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