Skopje, May 23 - Seven members of the Macedonian Police were injured in yesterday’s attack of the Albanian terrorists on the road Tetovo-Popova Sapka, near the locality Sidol. The injured policemen were transferred to the Medical Center in Tetovo and their situation is stable.
One police vehicle was completely destroyed and another badly damaged in the attack carried out with hand grenades "Zolja".
The detonations, coming from the hillsides of Sara Mountain could be heard in Tetovo this morning.
The Albanian terrorists launched late last night new attacks on the Macedonian security forces in the Kumanovo region. According to Spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Georgi Trendafilov, the first attacks started at 18.00h, and became more intense an hour later.
The Macedonian security forces launched an operation for elimination of the terrorists and as Trendafilov reported there are no losses on Macedonian side.
Kumanovo Mayor Slobodan Kovacevski, at yesterday’s press conference, pointed out that the current situation with the water supply in the city as alarming, adding that the Glazva Lake, which supplies the city with drinking water, is under control of the terrorists.
In a routine inspection of a vehicle in the vicinity of Kumanovo village of Matejce, the Macedonian Police has discovered and confiscated a large amount of weaponry. In the vehicle, the police has discovered three automatic and five semi-automatic rifles, 14 hand-grenades, ten detonators for hand-grenades, four bullet-frames for automatic rifle, silencer for automatic rifle, ammunition and two sacks with medicine supplies.
Macedonia - Security
TERRORISTS RELEASE THE CAPTIVATED SOLDER
Skopje, May 23 - Professional solder of the Macedonian Army, Goran Mitrevski, held captive by the Albanian terrorists for 19 days, was released yesterday. His release was mediated by the OSCE Mission, UNHCR and Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Macedonia, Muarem Nexhipi.
"I am excited and glad I am alive and together with my family, and for this I would like to thank to the OSCE, Deputy Minister of Health Muarem Nexhipi and to President Boris Trajkovski, who has called me by phone, soldier Goran Mitrevski said at the press conference, held in the Kumanovo barracks. He said the terrorists had treated him well, he had not been molested, except for two-three strikes. He said the terrorists had given him the same food they ate. He was kept in basements of houses in the village of Vaksince, and he was constantly being transferred from one house to another, but he was allowed to make telephone calls. Mitrevski stated that the terrorists had not asked anything from him and he had not been informed about anything.
Mitrevski was captured on May 3 near the village of Vaksince, when the Army patrol was ambushed by the terrorists. Two Macedonian Army soldiers were killed in that attack.
Macedonia - Security Council
SECURITY SITUATION UNDER CONTROL
Skopje, May 23 - The Security Council of the Republic of Macedonia, chaired by President Boris Trajkovski, held a session focused on the current security situation in the Republic of Macedonia. The Council concluded that the security forces of the Republic of Macedonia have control over the situation on the field, preventing further escalation of the crisis that jeopardizes Macedonia’s territorial integrity and public law and order in the country.
The Council agreed that political initiatives of the international community and the authorities of the Republic of Macedonia have not yielded positive results with extremist-terrorist and illegitimate armed groups. It was assessed that the terrorists have remained on their unacceptable positions, committing criminal and terrorist activities against the local population and creating immediate danger of a large-scale humanitarian catastrophe both in the villages in the region and in the city of Kumanovo.
The Council agreed that the normal conditions for leading the political dialogue between the legitimate political entities in the Republic of Macedonia have been jeopardized. Furthermore, the Council also agreed that certain initiatives of some representatives of the international community, in which one can recognize the ideas for making equal the positions of the leaders of the terrorist-extremist groups with the legitimate representatives of the Republic of Macedonia, have raised the concern of all Macedonian citizens. In this context, it was pointed out that neither the Security Council nor any other official body in the Republic of Macedonia has ever considered accepting any kind of dialogue with the terrorist groups.