National Liberation Army | |
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Ushtria Çlirimtare Kombëtare | |
Leaders | Ali Ahmeti Gëzim Ostreni Xhezair Shaqiri Harun Aliu Jetulla Qarri Hajrulla Misini |
Dates of operation | 1999–2001 |
Headquarters | Šar Mountains, Skopska Crna Gora |
Active regions | Northwestern Macedonia and the Skopje statistical region |
Size | 2,000–3,000[1] |
Allies | Albanian National Army Kosovo Liberation Army Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac[2][3][4] |
Opponents | Macedonia NATO[5][6][7] Ukraine[8][9][10] Bulgaria[11][12] |
Battles and wars |
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The National Liberation Army (NLA; Albanian: Ushtria Çlirimtare Kombëtare, abbr. UÇK; Macedonian: Ослободителна народна армија, romanized: Osloboditelna narodna armija, abbr. ONA), also known as the Macedonian UÇK (Albanian: UÇK Maqedonase; Macedonian: Македонски UÇK, romanized: Makedonski UÇK), was an ethnic Albanian militant[13] militia that operated in the Republic of Macedonia in 2001 and was closely associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).[14] Following the 2001 insurgency in Macedonia, it was disarmed through the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which gave greater rights and autonomy to the state's Macedonian Albanians.
PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) _ Five high-ranking members of the Kosovo Protection Corps were suspended Friday for alleged involvement in the Macedonian insurgency. The suspensions came a week after President Bush issued an executive order restricting entry to the United States of the five men.
Ostreni says he foresaw the conflict in Kosovo, and joined the Kosovo Liberation Army long before NATO air strikes began, commanding the group's operations in the Dukagjin plain of western Kosovo. After the war, he served in the Kosovo Protection Corps before returning to Macedonia to lead the uprising.