Gošince attack

On 21 April 2015, 40 armed men with National Liberation Army (NLA) patches attacked a border police station located at Gošince, near the Kosovo border. The group tied and beat the policemen manning the outpost and stole weapons and radios. They stayed for a couple of hours, filming the event, and issued a message through an interpreter before leaving.

Gošince attack
Date21 April 2015
Location
Gošince border post, Lipkovo Municipality, Macedonia
42.2141°N 21.5172°E / 42.2141; 21.5172
Result

Hostages released

  • NLA militants withdraw from Gošince border post
  • Macedonian border police control over the border post restored after the departure of the NLA militants
Belligerents
 Macedonia NLA militants
Units involved
Border Police Kumanovo group
Strength
4 policemen 40 militants
Casualties and losses
4 captured (then released) none
Gošince attack is located in North Macedonia
Gošince attack
Location of Gošince in the Republic of Macedonia

Background

Skopje government attack
Main article: 2014 Skopje government attack

On October 28, 2014, at 22.00, the Macedonian government building was shelled, damaging the walls and roof of the building. No casualties were registered. It has been speculated that the event was linked to the recent proclamation of the so-called "Republic of Ilirida", part of the Greater Albanian project. The projectiles were likely fired from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launcher,[1] likely the same used in the 2007 attack. The National Liberation Army (NLA), the militant organization that fought against the Macedonian government in the Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (2001), claimed responsibly for the attack.[2] The organization, in the letter signed by "Kushtrimi" to the government, claimed that the "Hasan Prishtina" elite force hit the government building in a coordinated action.[2] The organization claims it is disconcent with the 2001 Ohrid Agreement.[2]

Assault on Gošince

On 21 April 2015, a group of 40 armed men with NLA patches attacked a border police station located at Gošince, near the Kosovo border. The group tied the policemen and beat them, then stole their arms and communication devices; they stayed for a couple of hours, filming the event, and before they left for Kosovo, they issued this message through an interpreter: "We are from the National Liberation Army. Tell them that neither Ali Ahmeti nor Nikola Gruevski can save you. We do not want any framework agreement and if we see you here again, we will kill you. We want our own state."[3][4][5]

The state issued a statement that this was "a terrorist attack on the state".[3] The police has stepped up security in the area.[4] Gošince is 99% Albanian,[3] and was a site of the Insurgency in the Republic of Macedonia (2001) in which the NLA fought against the Macedonian government seeking basic rights for the Albanian population in Macedonia.[6][7]

On 22 April an unofficial police source alleged that the group was led by Xhevair Ademi, while other identified individuals were brothers Erhan and Kadir Bajrami, and a Faruk who managed the attack, all from Gjilan in Kosovo.[8][9][10] The identified persons, now numbering five, are known to the Macedonian Security Service, as well as those of the region.[10] According to Pristina media, on 22 April, the attack was claimed by the NLA, signed by "Commander Flamuri".[10]

On 24 April, President Nikola Gruevski was accused by the opposition to have staged the attack.[11] On 26 April, Macedonian police recovered illegal arms from the villages of Gošince, Brest and Malina Mahala.[12] Some of the arms found in Malina Mahala were those stolen in the attack.[13] On 27 April, Osman Sulejman was indicted for the attack, while Mirsad Ndrecaj "Commander NATO" (a Kosovo Liberation Army and NLA veteran) was said by Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska to have been involved in the attack,[14] having assumed responsibility for the attack.[15]

On 9 June, Macedonian daily newspaper, Dnevnik reported that the OSCE Mission to Skopje had advance knowledge of the Gošince border post attack and that the OSCE Mission did not share this information with the security services.[16][17]

Aftermath

On 3 May 2015, a bomb was thrown at building of the Democratic Union for Integration, the party established by the NLA leadership. There were no victims or wounded.[18] On 9 May an armed group clashed with police in Kumanovo.

See also

References
  1. "B92 - News - Reports: RPGs used in attack on government HQ". B92. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  2. "'Liberation Army' Claims it Shelled Macedonian Govt". 7 November 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  3. "MKD: Teroristi OVK upali u karaulu" (in Serbian). B92. 21 April 2015. 983125.
  4. "Plus info, Macedonia: Terrorists with National Liberation Army attack police station in Gosince". FOCUS News Agency. 21 April 2015. 370083. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  5. Maroevic, Rade (21 April 2015). "Македонска полиција повратила караулу коју је јутрос заузео УЧК" (in Serbian). RTS.
  6. New York Times (20 March 2001). "Who are the rebels?".
  7. BBC News (16 August 2001). "Ethnic Albanian Leader Pledges to Disarm". The New York Times.
  8. MVR. "Идентификувани некои од напаѓачите на караулата во Гошинце" (in Macedonian). MKD.
  9. "Gnjilanska grupa odgovorna za napad" (in Serbian). B92. 22 April 2015.
  10. "УЧК преузела одговорност за напад". Glas Srpske. 22 April 2015.
  11. "Gruevski responds to SDSM accusations over attack in Goshince". albeu. April 25, 2015.
  12. "Police action near Kosovo border recovers stolen ammunition from Goshince". macedoniaonline. 26 April 2015.
  13. "Makedonska policija pronašla deo oružja iz karaule Gošince". Blic. 26 April 2015.
  14. "Osman Sulejman osumnjičen za napad na karaulu u selu Gošince".
  15. "eMagazin: Commander NATO with Kosovo Liberation Army assumes responsibility over Gosince". focus-fen. 2015-04-27.
  16. http://www.dnevnik.mk/default.asp?ItemID=71ACDAC8D4B3AA4180198FD483EE44F9
  17. "MINA Breaking News". macedoniaonline.eu. Archived from the original on 2015-07-29.
  18. "Bombom na sedište partije Ahmetija" (in Serbian). B92. 3 May 2015.
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