Operation MH-1
Macedonian military operation
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Operation MH-1 was a Macedonian military operation with the goal to clear out the NLA rebels from the Skopska Crna Gora region all along the Macedonian border.[4][11] The offensive started on March 28, 2001, and ended the next day.
| Operation MH-1 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Macedonia |
 National Liberation Army | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
 Boris Trajkovski Pande Petrovski Ljube Boškoski Risto Galevski Robert Petkovski |
Xhezair Shaqiri Nazmi Sulejmani Commander Sokoli Beqir Sadiku Hysni Shaqiri | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
115th Brigade 113th Brigade | |||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
300 soldiers[7] 10 T-55 Tanks[8] Multiple APC's[9] 2 Mi-24 gunships[5] Unknown |
100 militants[10] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
1 soldier killed[6] 2 soldiers wounded[6] |
Unknown | ||||||||
| 2 civilians in Kosovo killed and 10 wounded[5] | |||||||||
Prelude
Two days before the start of Operation MH-1 the Macedonian security forces started Operation MH in the Tetovo region which cleared out the NLA from the city and the surrounding villages.[4][12][13]
Battle
The Macedonian security forces started a two pronged attack near the Kosovo border using tanks, APC's and helicopter gunships and occupied most roads and villages along the Kosovo border installing police checkpoints.[14]
During the operation, Macedonian infantry units were reluctant to engage in an open battle with the rebels.[10]
Although the Macedonian Army officially claimed victory, the NLA stated that they were only regrouping around Gračani for an upcoming counter-offensive.[15][16]
Aftermath
On 31 March, 30 suspected rebels in Kosovo tried to cross the border into Macedonia, however they were detained by NATO forces.[17]
After the end of operation MH-1 and the securing of the border with Kosovo, the Macedonian armed forces launched Operation MH-2 to clear out the rebels in Kumanovo.