Ljuboten incident explained

Conflict:Ljuboten Incident
Place:Ljuboten, Macedonia
Partof:2001 insurgency in Macedonia
Date:Clashes: 10 August 2001
Massacre: 12 August 2001
Combatant1: National Liberation Army (initial attack denied by Ali Ahmeti)
Commander1: Xhavit Hasani
Nazmi Sulejmani
[1] [2] [3]
Commander2: Ljube Boškoski
Johan Tarčulovski[4]
Strength1: 25 militants[5]
Strength2: Unknown
Units1: 113th Brigade "Ismet Jashari"
Units2: Army Reservists
Casualties1: 1 killed[6] [7]
Casualties2: 8 killed[8]
8 wounded[9]
Casualties3:10 ethnic Albanian civilians killed in later police action
150 ethnic Albanians injured[10]
Hundreds of ethnic Albanians arrested[11]
14 ethnic Albanian homes burned[12]

The Ljuboten clashes, (Macedonian: Љуботенските судири, Albanian: Përplasjet e Lubotenit), also referred to as the Ljubotenski Bacila massacre,[13] (Macedonian: Масакрот на Љуботенски Бачила), happened on 10 August, 2001, when a Macedonian Army truck convoy composed of reservists ran over a landmine near the village of Ljuboten, killing eight men.[14] Immediately after the attack fighting between Albanian rebels and Macedonian forces erupted.[15] [16] The Macedonian government officially blamed the NLA for the attack.[17] The leader of the NLA, Ali Ahmeti, did not confirm NLA involvement in planting the mines, suggested the devices might have been placed by government forces to prevent rebel crossings, and expressed his regret at the incident.[18]

Ljuboten massacre
Location:Ljuboten, Macedonia
Date:12 August 2001
Target:Albanian civilians
Type:Massacre
Fatalities:10 killed
Injuries:150 injured[19]
Perps:Macedonian Police led by Johan Tarčulovski[20]
Motive:Revenge

Aftermath

Two days after the attack, Macedonian forces surrounded Ljuboten and killed ten Albanian civilians. The Macedonian Army surrounded Ljuboten and shelled the village with helicopters and heavy artillery, during the shelling 2 Albanian civilians, one elderly man and a 6-year-old girl were killed.[21] Following the shelling Macedonian reservists entered the village and started to carry out the killing of six individuals, shooting them either in the head or the back, including a 6-year-old boy.[22] [23] Later one man was stabbed to death in the presence of his paralyzed father. The remains of a 35-year-old man were also found near the village, by his relatives, 6 days after the incident. On 12th June 2001, a small faction of NLA fighters led by deserted from the NLA to return to Ljuboten. Their primary objective was to rescue wounded civilians in the village amid the ongoing massacre. Muzafer Agushi lost his life on that very day.[24]

After a investigation by the Human Rights Watch, it was concluded that no NLA members were present in the village during the incident.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Luboteni 2001 - Asani, Skender (Skender Asani) . 2023-04-29 . www.botimpex.com.
  2. Web site: Dëshmorët .
  3. https://pashtriku.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/deshmoret-e-UCK-monografi.pdf
  4. Web site: Press | International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia .
  5. Web site: admin . 2020-08-10 . НА ДЕНЕШЕН ДЕН: Во 2001-ва од пoдметнати миHи кај Љуботенски бачила 3aгинаа осум бранители на Македонија . 2023-07-20 . arhiva.iNFOMAX.mk . en-US.
  6. Web site: Luboteni 2001 - Asani, Skender (Skender Asani) . 2023-04-29 . www.botimpex.com.
  7. Web site: Dëshmorët .
  8. Web site: Macedonia marks 21 years since the Ljubotenski Bacila ambush . Republika . 10 August 2022 . 18 December 2022.
  9. Web site: Macedonia marks 21 years since the Ljubotenski Bacila ambush . Republika . 10 August 2022 . 18 December 2022.
  10. Web site: FYR of Macedonia: The crimes of Ljuboten - the Republic of North Macedonia | ReliefWeb . 31 August 2001 .
  11. Web site: Дали Охридскиот договор спречи граѓанска војна? . Civil Media . mk . 13 August 2019.
  12. Web site: Дали Охридскиот договор спречи граѓанска војна? . Civil Media . mk . 13 August 2019.
  13. Web site: Macedonia marks 21 years since the Ljubotenski Bacila ambush . Republika . 10 August 2022 . 18 December 2022.
  14. Web site: Soldiers killed in Macedonia blast . CNN world . 2022-03-08 . 2013-01-20 . https://archive.today/20130120005108/http://articles.cnn.com/2001-08-10/world/macedonia.planes.1738_1_radusa-macedonian-soldiers-tetovo?_s=PM:WORLD . live .
  15. Web site: CNN.com - Soldiers killed in Macedonia blast - August 10, 2001 . 2022-10-17 . edition.cnn.com.
  16. KRZAK . Andrzej . 2014 . ASYMMETRY OF THE ALBANIAN-MACEDONIAN MILITARY CONFLICT IN 2001: MILITARY CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FIGHT IN THE REGIONS OF TETOVO, KUMANOVO, ARAČINOVO AND VAKSINCE . Politeja . 30 . 295–316 . 10.12797/Politeja.11.2014.30.23 . 24919730 . 1733-6716 . the area of Luboten (Ljuboten) village on the way to Lubca (Ljubca) there was a terrorist attack on a military convoy, when eight Macedonian soldiers were killed. free .
  17. News: Fisher . Ian . 2001-09-05 . Report Says Macedonians Killed Civilians in Revenge . en-US . The New York Times . 2022-10-17 . 0362-4331.
  18. Web site: Ali Ahmeti: "NLA Supports the Peace Agreement" Posted August 11, 2001 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161017225737/http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?newsid997542008,30665, . 2016-10-17 . Alb net . National Albanian American Council . 3 July 2022 . The NLA has signed an agreement with NATO, where both parties have no right of movement, that is why today I am expressing my regret that the Government troops have entered the mountain road and have stepped on mines which we have not confirmed whether they have been planted by our soldiers or by government forces themselves, so that they could prevent the movement of the NLA in those areas. So again, I express regret for this accident..
  19. Web site: FYR of Macedonia: The crimes of Ljuboten - the Republic of North Macedonia | ReliefWeb . 31 August 2001 .
  20. Web site: Дали Охридскиот договор спречи граѓанска војна? . Civil Media . mk . 13 August 2019.
  21. Web site: 2001-08-31 . fYR of Macedonia: The crimes of Ljuboten - the Republic of North Macedonia ReliefWeb . 2023-05-18 . reliefweb.int . en.
  22. Web site: 18 vjet nga masakra e Lubotenit . 2023-05-18 . Gazeta Online INSAJDERI . en.
  23. Web site: Luboteni 2001 - Asani, Skender (Skender Asani) . 2023-05-18 . www.botimpex.com.
  24. Web site: Luboteni 2001 - Asani, Skender (Skender Asani) . 2023-08-06 . www.botimpex.com.