Battle of Vaksince

In May 2001, NLA rebels led by Fadil Nimani infiltrated Macedonia and set up bases in several villages to the north of Kumanovo.[16]

On 3 May, the NLA launched an attack on Macedonian security forces in Vaksince, near Kumanovo, killing two Macedonian soldiers and kidnapping a third.[17][1] The NLA then went on to occupy the village and declared the area in and around Vaksince as a "liberated zone".[18][1]

On the same day, Macedonian forces decided to launch a counter-offensive to reclaim the village seized by the NLA.[1][19][20] Macedonian forces began the offensive with helicopter gunships and artillery that fired on and around the village of Vaksince.[21]

Macedonian Army officials claimed to have managed to destroy fourteen NLA entrenched positions, eight machine-gun bunkers, seven sniper nests, six control points, three arms storage facilities, and one mortar position during the offensive.[22] During the offensive 3 Macedonian soldiers were wounded. The NLA also claimed to have shot down one MI-24 attack helicopter.[10]

Army spokesman Gjordji Trendafilov told the Associated Press that the NLA was holding thousands of villagers as human shields.[18] This was denied by the NLA, who also accused government forces of indiscriminate attacks against Albanian civilians.[23][24]

On 24 May 2001, Macedonian security forces launched another general offensive against the NLA in Kumanovo.[25] Fighting continued into the next day and turned into urban warfare. The police and army infantry had to fight for every house in the large villages of Vaksince and Lojane, two NLA strongholds, as the NLA resisted fiercely. A special police unit called the "Tigers", who specialised in urban counter-guerrilla fighting, was also deployed.[26] On 26 May, NLA rebels withdrew to the hills around Vaksince.[27] With the withdrawal of the NLA, the Macedonian security forces moved in and recaptured Vaksince.[28] During the clashes, Fadil Nimani, main commander of the NLA in Vaksince, fell in battle, while one Macedonian police officer was wounded.[11]

While the Macedonian Army captured Vaksince on 26 May, the NLA regained territory in Vaksince within three days.[4] On 6 June, the NLA retook Vaksince,[29] Georgi Trendafilov denied that the army had been forced out and claimed that there were no "terrorists" in Vaksince and that the army was still in its positions.[29] Nevertheless, the Macedonian army shelled Vaksince on 6 June, setting a house on fire, which according to CNN would have been unlikely if they still had occupied the area.[29]

On 7 June, Hysamedin Halili (then Mayor of the Lipkovo Municipality) confirmed that the NLA recaptured Vaksince.[30]