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84-523: Yugoslavia's defense industry started planning the development and production of a new self-loading rifle design during the 1950s, namely to replace the bolt-action Zastava M48 then in service with the Yugoslav People's Army . In 1957, Yugoslavia acquired the rights to manufacture the Soviet SKS semi-automatic carbine under license, and a research team led by Milan Ćirić was placed in charge of

168-400: A coordinated attack on the village from the directions of Otlja, Orizare and Slupčane. The insurgents were firing machine-guns, automatic rifles, sniper rifles , and rocket propelled grenades ". During the next two days, Macedonian security forces carried out an offensive towards Slupčane, which was shelled on a daily basis. In the meantime, there was news that there was renewed fighting in

252-525: A kilometer up the hills fighting their way towards the village of Gajre . By early afternoon, the village of Gajre was captured by the police; they entered Šipkovica , but the NLA insurgents put up stiffer resistance at Lavce . Macedonian government forces continued to move carefully to the north of Tetovo during the second day of the offensive (26 March 2001), consolidating their control of villages that had been held by Albanian rebels for almost two weeks. After

336-455: A number of factories had to close down, adding to already high unemployment. At the same time, the main transit route for Macedonian exports to most of Europe had been closed, increasing the costs for exports. State coffers, almost empty before the outbreak of the crisis, were now practically exhausted. Macedonians were worried about the impact that more than 360,000 Albanian refugees might have on Macedonia's own ethnic mix. They were afraid that

420-648: A prominent manifestation of these demands was the declaration of an autonomous republic called " Ilirida " in the western part of Macedonia. Other pressing issues were the attempted creation of an Albanian language university in Tetovo (1995), declared illegal by Macedonian authorities, as well as the anti-constitutional raising of the Albanian flag in front of the municipal assemblies in Gostivar and Tetovo in 1997. Macedonians considered these two events as steps towards

504-674: A televised speech to the nation, that he would not negotiate with "terrorists". He rebuked the United States and Germany, whose troops patrolled the border from the Kosovar side as part of NATO's contingent there, for not doing enough to stop the rebels. Georgievski accused NATO of "creating a new Taliban in Europe" and allowing Albanian extremists to operate out of UN administered Kosovo . After five days of guerrilla attacks against government forces in and around Tetovo, on 18 March 2001,

588-543: A thick stainless steel butt plate at the rear of the stock. The M24/47 stocks are mostly made of thinner Walnut or Beech wood and do not have a milled stainless steel "cupped" butt plate. The M48 was also designed to remove the follower from stopping the bolt from closing when the magazine is empty. There are five main versions of the M48. M48: 1950-1952- The initial version of the M48, with full crest and all machined steel parts. M48A: 1952-1965- Inclusion of stamped parts.

672-700: Is a post World War II Yugoslav version of the Belgian designed M24 series with some influence from German Karabiner 98k . It was the standard service rifle of the Yugoslav People's Army from the early 1950s until its replacement by the Zastava M59/66 , a licensed copy of the Soviet SKS semiautomatic carbine, in the early 1960s. After World War II, Yugoslavia took the design of the M24 rifle series and restarted production with minor modifications based on

756-469: Is that it continued to be stamped on the receiver ring M48 A . There was no change in markings. The specific changes in parts is unverified but include stamped barrel and H-bands and the magazine spring follower. The most significant change and external appearance whereby the M48B may be identified is the trigger guard. Whereas previously, the trigger guard/mag well were machined from a solid billet of steel, it

840-583: The Albanian and Turkish flag in the town halls of Gostivar and Tetovo. The removal of the flags sparked protests . The Macedonian Army was formed in 1992 with the withdrawal of the Yugoslav National Army under the agreement that it would take all of its equipment with it, stripping the facilities bare, and mining them for demolition, in some case even army apartments were stripped of wire and plumbing. According to Belgrade newspapers

924-577: The Associated Press that the NLA was holding thousands of villagers as human shields. The offensive started with the shelling of selected targets in Vaksince by military helicopters and field artillery . In the next several days, Macedonian security forces shelled NLA positions in the villages of Slupčane, Orizari and Otlja. Afterwards, Macedonian police and infantry units advanced. On 7 May 2001, Macedonian Army officials announced that in

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1008-755: The Casspir . The insurgents loaded their M59/66s with the M60 anti-tank variant as well as the more slender M60 AP1 anti-personnel rifle grenade. They frequently initiated ambushes of South African military or police columns by attempting to disable the lead vehicle with an M60, either targeting the engine block or the wheels. By the end of the war, each PLAN section included at least one insurgent armed with an M59/66, and another with an RPG-7 . Larger PLAN units included an equal number of insurgents armed with M59/66s and RPGs, with each carrying at least three rifle grenades or five PG-7 projectiles, respectively. Second-line units of

1092-545: The Democratic Party of Albanians , which was a part of the Macedonian government, criticized the attack against the police station and said the following: The Tetovo incident is part of an orchestrated action against the government and a very crude attempt to overthrow it. Regardless of who is behind it, as a political party we deeply condemn this act. This is a deeply anti-Macedonian act, but also an act against

1176-599: The Ethiopian Ground Forces used large numbers of the M59/66 alongside original Soviet SKS carbines during the Ogaden War . The Republic of Macedonia Army used the M59/66 during the 2001 NLA insurgency . Throughout the early and mid 2000s, the M59/66 remained the standard issue rifle of Macedonian rear echelon units and artillery crews. The Zastava M59/66 PAP is identical in function and operation to

1260-640: The Kosovo Liberation Army began crossing the border and entrenching themselves in Albanian-populated municipalities of the Republic. Macedonian authorities frequently intercepted and seized weapons deliveries en route to Kosovo. In the prelude to the conflict in late 2000, groups of armed Albanians started opening fire on Macedonian police and security forces located on the border with Yugoslavia . These events appeared to catch

1344-545: The Lebanese Civil War . In 2018 Polish Border Guard obtained 44 rifles for ceremonial purposes due to its physical similarities with Polish pre-WW2 Kb wz. 98a . 2001 insurgency in Macedonia 90 civilians killed 150–250 total dead and 1,000 total casualties 70–250 killed in fighting Other : 140,000 people displaced [REDACTED] One British soldier killed The 2001 insurgency in

1428-479: The Macedonian government and the international community by surprise. The first attacks occurred in the small village of Tanuševci , located in northern Macedonia near the border with Kosovo . The conflict began on 22 January 2001, when a group of armed Albanians attacked the police station of the village Tearce near Tetovo , killing a police officer and injuring three others. Arben Xhaferi , leader of

1512-739: The Military Technical Institute . Production of the M59/66 lasted from 1966 until 1970. After 1970, the M59/66 was manufactured with flip-up tritium or painted phosphorous night sights. This received the designation M59/66 A1 . Between 1966 and 1971, Zastava manufactured 132,081 M59/66s and M59/66A1s, at which time production ceased for the Yugoslavian People's Army. The M59/66A1 continued to be manufactured for export as late as 1986. The M59/66 remained in service with military and security forces in Yugoslavia until

1596-575: The Republic of Macedonia had been trying to focus on its internal affairs . The promotion of democracy and harmonised inter-ethnic relations had been defined as the main goal of the new state. Since the first democratic elections in 1991, the Albanians of Macedonia used all constitutional and political opportunities to play a significant political role in the country. There were several Albanian political parties, whose behaviour and rhetoric (just as in

1680-699: The dissolution of that country in 1991, although by then it had been largely superseded by the M70 assault rifle , a Yugoslav derivative of the Soviet AK-47 . At the time, most of the M59/66s were either warehoused or in limited service with territorial defense units. Due to the availability of surplus M70s and other Kalashnikov-pattern rifles during the Yugoslav Wars , the M59/66 was withdrawn from active service in Yugoslavia's various successor states during

1764-420: The ethnic Macedonian majority and the largest minority, the ethnic Albanians , had co-existed uneasily both before and after the country declared independence in 1991, their relations had generally been peaceful. All of the successive Macedonian governments had included Albanian parties as coalition partners, and several problems were resolved through political dialogue. The mood was more or less optimistic until

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1848-511: The "Tigers", who specialised in urban counter-guerrilla fighting, was also deployed. After two weeks of heavy fighting, on 26 May 2001 the Macedonian security forces recaptured Vaksince and Lojane. During the battle for Vaksince, Macedonian forces killed Fadil Nimani, chief commander of the NLA in Kumanovo. Macedonian troops continued their offensive towards the NLA strongholds of Slupčane and Matejce, both about thirty kilometres northeast of

1932-711: The 1990s. During the South African Border War , the People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) received an unknown number of M59/66s and 22mm M60 rifle grenades , also of Yugoslav origin, as military aid. Even in the southern African theater, the weapon's basic design was considered quite dated by the peak of the war in the 1980s; however, PLAN retained the M59/66 due to its lack of equivalent weapons capable of launching rifle grenades. PLAN insurgents made effective use of rifle grenades fired from M59/66s against light armoured South African military vehicles, namely

2016-508: The 2/502nd & 3/502nd Infantry Regiments of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) controlled much of the border. Infantry Squads patrolled the mountains 24/7 conducting clandestine observation and interdiction. Mortar platoons provided illumination support for night observation. On March, KFOR and the Macedonian forces led a joint operation against Albanian rebels in the Macedonian-Kosovar border region, which resulted in

2100-556: The Albanian insurgents, discouraging their encampment in the buffer zone ( Ground Safety Zone ) area between Kosovo and Serbia , or preventing their entry into Macedonia. The NLA claimed that the rebel force comprised several thousand men, coming mainly from Macedonia. After a month of clashes, by late February, the Macedonian special police units neutralized the positions of the NLA in Tearce and Tanuševci , temporarily driving them across

2184-533: The German Karabiner 98k . Although very similar in external appearance, many of the parts of the Yugoslav and German rifles are not interchangeable, especially the bolt and related action parts. M48s are usually distinguished from the 98k by the top handguard, which extends behind the rear sight and ends just in front of the receiver ring, although this feature exists on other models as well. The M48

2268-820: The Kosovo Liberation Army. Ceka Bilal was a member of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency and was one of the main organizers for weapons smuggling in Kosovo. In reference to the attack, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski stated, "We are fighting terrorists, not rebels, and we have exercised the utmost restraint in tackling them". The killing of the eight Macedonian soldiers and police officers led to riots in Skopje , Bitola , and Veles , during which ethnic Macedonians attacked Albanian-owned businesses and shops. At least ten Albanian shops in

2352-530: The M48A used sheet metal stampings for the magazine floor plate. These changes sped production while lowering cost. The critical bolt and receiver which contain the pressure of the burning propellant within the cartridge case retained the same material requirements and design tolerances (i.e. were machined from forged steel) in the A and B variations. M48B: 1956-1965- Additional sheet metal stampings incorporated. The most critical factor to understand about this model

2436-506: The M59 was modified to fire 22mm rifle grenades via the addition of an integrated grenade launcher spigot. The new model included a folding ladder sight for use with the rifle grenades as well; this also doubled as a gas shutoff to enable the rifle to cycle correctly. This variant received the designation M59/66 . The new M59/66 concept was jointly designed by two Zastava engineers, Božidar Blagojević and Miloš Ostojić, and Colonel Milan Vasiljević of

2520-486: The Macedonian government announced an end of its offensive against the NLA armed groups. The Macedonian government claimed to have killed a dozen NLA guerrillas during the offensive. The rebels also claimed to have killed at least a dozen Macedonian border police, however this was denied by security officials. Hospital officials in Tetovo said thirty police officers and ten civilians were wounded. One civilian, an Albanian man,

2604-533: The Macedonian government ordered a general mobilization of reservists to execute a wider counter-attack against the National Liberation Army's positions in the hills around Tetovo. The offensive of the Macedonian security forces was launched against NLA positions on the hillsides overlooking the city on 25 March 2001. While encountering fierce resistance from the rebels, more than two-hundred troops, aided by tanks and mortars, advanced about

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2688-442: The Macedonian security forces' artillery and infantry assault, most of the NLA insurgents had abandoned their positions farther north into the mountains stretching toward Kosovo . On 28 March 2001, two days after the NLA was driven out from the greater part of Tetovo, Macedonian security forces launched a second offensive, this time directed at clearing the insurgents from their remaining strongholds stretching from east of Tetovo to

2772-469: The National Liberation Army to lay down their arms and leave the country, or face a full-scale offensive. The NLA rejected the ultimatum, announced a unilateral ceasefire, and called for political dialogue. In response, President Trajkovski claimed that the government first had to "neutralize the terrorist threat", but agreed to start a political dialogue with legitimate Albanian political parties in Macedonia. Prime Minister Ljubčo Georgievski declared, in

2856-639: The Republic of Macedonia was an armed conflict which began when the ethnic Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) insurgent group, formed from veterans of the Kosovo War and Insurgency in the Preševo Valley , attacked Macedonian security forces at the end of January 2001, and ended with the Ohrid Agreement , signed on 13 August of that same year. There were also claims that the NLA ultimately wished to see Albanian-majority areas secede from

2940-460: The SKS had to be replaced by a unique Yugoslav bayonet to accommodate the new mount placement. A commercial variant of the M59 and M59/66 series, available for sale to civilians in some of the post-Yugoslav republics, lacked the bayonet or the ability to fire rifle grenades. Zastava M48 The Zastava M48 ( Serbo-Croatian : Puška M.48 7,9 mm / Пушка M.48 7,9 mm, "Rifle M.48 7.9 mm")

3024-404: The Soviet SKS in nearly every respect, except its ability to launch 22mm rifle grenades from an integral grenade launcher spigot mounted at the front of the barrel. The rifle has been fitted with a folding ladder sight for use in launching grenades. This sight is normally locked into a folded position atop the gas block. Prior to firing a rifle grenade, the sight is unlocked by depressing a switch on

3108-604: The Ukrainian government agreed to suspend all military sales to Macedonia in July. According to the 1994 census, there were 442,914 Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia, making up about 22.9% of the total population of the country (1,936,877). This made them the largest ethnic minority alongside the majority Macedonian population of 1,288,330 (66.5%). In 2001, the Albanians of Macedonia lived largely in compact settlements in

3192-560: The ZRAK 4x32 telescopic sight and mounts. However, other than an experimental batch of approximately 4000 rifles, no official M48 sniper rifle was ever fielded by the Yugoslav Army. Egypt bought M48As to diversify its suppliers in the 1950s. Syria purchased M48A and M48BO rifles. Indonesia , Iraq , Burma , Algeria and Chad also received some. In the 1980s, Syria sent surplus M48s to pro-Syrian Lebanese factions during

3276-589: The army removed equipment worth $ 14 billion and $ 20 billion which could equip an army of 30,000. This left Macedonia severely weakened and forced Macedonia to rely on donated surplus vehicles and outdated weaponry, the World War II t-34/85 was the main battle tank of the Macedonian Army until the Bulgarian donation of 100 M −30 howitzers and 94 T-55 tanks in 1999. In 2001 Ukraine

3360-436: The army, and allow for presidential rule by decree, fewer restraints on the army, the banning of demonstrations, a nationwide curfew, and sealing the country's borders. During the entire conflict, however, the United States urged Macedonia not to declare a state of war in its fight against the NLA. In the beginning of May 2001, a large group of NLA rebels infiltrated Macedonia from Kosovo and set up bases in several villages to

3444-509: The basements of their houses rather than attempt to leave the village because they would find themselves in the cross-fire between the security forces and the NLA. Because the civilians had not fled the conflict zone, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Lipkovo, and to resume the supply of water to the village, a temporary ceasefire was brokered by the OSCE , and President Trajkovski ordered

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3528-479: The beginning of 2001. The main cause for incidents though, was the repression by the Macedonian governments on the use of the Albanian language in Macedonia and the ban of the use of the Albanian flag in public institutions. In 1997 the Constitutional Court restricted the use of the Albanian flag in public institutions to state holidays after the mayors of Tetovo and Gostivar illegally hoisted

3612-426: The border into Kosovo . By March 2001, NATO forces deployed in and around Kosovo began to interdict rebel supplies from areas under KFOR control, with surveillance carried out by drones . USAF Predators from the 11th Reconnaissance squadron were moved to the Skopje airport and later replaced by Task Force Hunter, a drone unit made up of IAI RQ-5 Hunter unmanned aircraft. A combined ground and aerial mission

3696-414: The capital Skopje. After several clashes in which the NLA insurgents were defeated, on 29 May 2001, Macedonian police and army units entered the village of Matejče. While searching the houses, the police found weapons and military equipment. The police also discovered a system of tunnels which provided connection between several houses. After the Macedonian security forces captured Matejče, the NLA initiated

3780-426: The capture of the village Tanuševci . US Forces coordinated with Macedonian Forces to minimize border traffic and activity. In the middle of March, NLA forces reappeared in the hills above Tetovo , a key northwest Macedonian town with an ethnic Albanian majority. The insurgents fired down on Macedonian positions using rifles, machine guns and mortars. At that point the NLA controlled at least seven villages to

3864-430: The car, dropped to his knees, and threw the grenade at the police checkpoint but failed to explode. A cordon of Macedonian troops, positioned behind sandbags, unleashed a volley of gunfire at the Albanian. At first he slumped against the car, then fell on the curb, dead. Moments later the father was also shot as he tried to run from the car. Despite photographic evidence of the grenade witnesses later interviewed insisted

3948-414: The case with the parties of the Macedonian political block), depended on whether they were in the governing coalition or not. Despite these political fluctuations, the Albanian parties were included as coalition partners in all post-communist Macedonian governments. According to the Albanian politician Arben Xhaferi , there was systemic discrimination against Albanians in Macedonia. The Albanian flag

4032-594: The city of Bitola were destroyed, and dozens of buildings were damaged. To suppress the riots, the Macedonian government imposed a curfew in Bitola, and Premier Georgievski announced that his cabinet considered declaring a state of war to have greater flexibility in fighting the NLA insurgents. According to the Macedonian Constitution a state of war would give enhanced powers to the President and

4116-487: The constitution to declare the Albanians as a second titular nation of the country, recognising Albanian as a second official language , and providing state support for the underground Albanian-language university in Tetovo . Albanians also claimed to represent as much as 30% and even 40% of the country's population, not the 22.9% recorded in the official June 1994 census. In 1994, some Albanian politicians in Macedonia advocated for wider collective political rights. In 1994,

4200-490: The country, though high-ranking members of the group have denied this. The conflict lasted throughout most of the year, although overall casualties remained limited to several dozen individuals on either side, according to sources from both sides of the conflict. With it, the Yugoslav Wars had reached the Republic of Macedonia which had achieved peaceful independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. When it declared its independence from Yugoslavia on 8 September 1991, Macedonia

4284-503: The country. According to the International Crisis Group , there was nearly 3% growth in 1999. The second half of 2000 also saw steady growth, leading to a 5% GDP increase for the year. In January 2001, the government projected a budget surplus for the second year in a row. In 2000 the country's emerging middle class began buying new cars, adding extensions to apartments and planning summer vacations abroad. Although

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4368-530: The creation of "parallel authorities" of the Albanians in Macedonia. During the conflict in Kosovo in 1999, Macedonia opened its borders to thousands of Kosovo Albanian refugees who were fleeing into the country. According to figures released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) , on 17 May there were 229,300 Kosovo Albanian refugees in Macedonia. The number of Albanian refugees in Macedonia at that stage

4452-658: The crested M48B but were not stamped with any national or manufacturer's markings. M48/63: Zastava Arms manufactured the M48/63 sporting rifle which is a short barreled variant of the Model 1948 rifle. The production stopped as of 2013. Most M48s that are encountered in the United States and Australia today show only slight wear—usually from storage. Many rifles are sold with accessories, including bayonet, bayonet scabbard, leather bayonet frog, ammo pouches, cleaning rod, and field cleaning kit. The rifles are normally sold coated in

4536-405: The father and son died with mobile phones in their hands, claiming that the pair were victims of revenge by police. The strategic position of the NLA units gave them an overview of the town. The front line between the NLA and the Macedonian security forces expanded along the wooded hills adjacent to the city center to the north. The same day that a front opened in Tetovo, the NLA took control of

4620-423: The first week of the offensive in Kumanovo, on 8 May 2001, at the entrance to the village of Slupčane. Army infantry launched an onslaught, causing insurgents to leave their positions and retreat towards Vaksince. Army helicopters then intercepted them with machine-gun fire and inflicted heavy casualties. That same day, a position of twenty NLA insurgents was destroyed by the Macedonian Army in the "Mining colony" that

4704-434: The gas port. This action also closes off the gas port in the barrel, which prevents the semi-automatic action from being cycled while a grenade is being launched. The sight ladder may then be raised and locked into the vertical position. The M59/66 was fitted with an unusual bayonet mount which also doubled as the mount for the front sight and the folding grenade launcher sight. The original Soviet blade bayonet as standard to

4788-617: The government or the Red Cross . To prevent civilian casualties, government representatives ordered the civilians in Lipkovo to evacuate the village. However, this order was not followed since the NLA insurgents in the village would not allow the International Red Cross to evacuate the civilians. The Mayor of Lipkovo, Husamedin Halili, issued an order opposite to the government's. He told civilians that they would be safer in

4872-554: The interests of the Albanians in Macedonia. In the same month, a group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA) claimed responsibility for the attacks against the police . Initial reports gave conflicting information about the NLA. Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski claimed that the rebels were primarily Kosovo Liberation Army (UÇK) members who had infiltrated the country from Kosovo . Macedonian officials accused NATO of not doing enough to disarm

4956-528: The interim period, Zastava tooled up for SKS production with new equipment, including vertical forging presses, purchased from Steyr Arms of Austria. The earliest examples of the SKS manufactured in Kragujevac under the auspices of Zastava received the designation M59 and initially resembled late Soviet pattern carbines, albeit without the chrome-lined barrels characteristic to the latter. Between 1964 and 1967, Zastava manufactured 52,069 M59s. In 1966,

5040-478: The medieval city fortress north of the city center, and started shooting at police stationed in the urban areas. After the initial clash, the Macedonian police pushed the NLA out of Tetovo and captured the medieval fortress. The NLA were pushed back into the surrounding hills where several houses were reportedly burning. Medical officials said one person was killed and at least fourteen injured, including eleven police officers. The government issued an ultimatum asking

5124-419: The north and west of Tetovo, all of which were up in the mountains and easily defensible. On 22 March 2001, tensions soared further in Tetovo, when two Albanian men, a father and a son, were shot dead during a routine search at a police checkpoint. The incident began when their car was stopped and the officer saw the man reach for his pocket. Fearing it was a grenade, the officer panicked and ran. The man exited

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5208-496: The north of Kumanovo. This armed group of NLA insurgents, known as the "113 Brigade of the NLA", was led by the Kosovo Albanian Fadil Nimani . On 3 May, the NLA launched another ambush on Macedonian security forces in Vaksince, near Kumanovo, and killed two Macedonian soldiers and kidnapped a third. The three soldiers were on a border patrol which was returning from routine duty when it was ambushed near

5292-437: The police corps; poor representation in the military officer corps; denial of citizenship to many long-time ethnic Albanian residents of Macedonia as well as discrimination in the process of citizenship applications; and unfair drawing of voting districts which dilutes their voting strength. Because of these reasons and many more, Albanians in Macedonia began to demand greater political rights. These included making amendments to

5376-441: The previous three days the Macedonian security forces had 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. Army officials also stressed that during the operations only selected targets were being hit, to avoid civilian casualties and unnecessary material damage. The most intensive clashes occurred during

5460-503: The program. Limited production of the SKS commenced in 1961 at Preduzeće 44 (Enterprise Facility 44), which was located in Kragujevac and had undergone an unprecedented expansion in 1953 to better accommodate mass production of various weapons. Aside from this preliminary production run, however, no SKS carbines were produced at the Kragujevac facility again until 1964, when the weapon type finally entered serialized mass production. In

5544-443: The protective grease ' cosmoline ' which needs to be cleaned out before the rifle is fired. The condition is frequently excellent due to a Yugoslavian maintenance program that cleaned and inspected the stored rifles in rotation every 5 years until that nation's breaking up. In 1953, the M48 rifle was exported to Burma . The M48 rifle has also been exported to Algeria , Chad , Ethiopia , Indonesia , Egypt , Iraq and Syria . It

5628-463: The refugees' presence could disturb the Republic's demographic balance. Macedonians were worried about the possible destructive spill-over effects that could result from the newest phase of the Kosovo conflict and also feared that they had the most to lose. As a Chicago Tribune journalist stated in March 1999, "People are afraid that after Kosovo comes Macedonia." At the same time, insurgents from

5712-401: The village of Tanuševci , north-west of Skopje. During the second offensive, the security forces attacked the NLA positions near the villages of Brest , Malino Malo, Gračani and Gošince , where clashes had taken place earlier in March before the later clashes around Tetovo. The government said the guerrillas fled northwest towards Kosovo, which they "used as a rear base". On 31 March 2001,

5796-468: The village. State radio said that the rebels had claimed the area around Vakcince as their "liberated zone". On the same day, the Macedonian security council decided to engage in a new offensive against the NLA to drive them out of their strongholds in the villages north of Kumanovo. People in the villages held by the NLA were given until 15:00 to evacuate before Macedonian security forces would launch their offensive. Army spokesman Gjordji Trendafilov told

5880-462: The villages north of Tetovo, more than a month after the Macedonian security forces crushed the rebels in an offensive in March 2001. On 8 June 2001, the Macedonian Army and the police launched a major new onslaught against the NLA in their strongholds in the remaining villages that had been occupied since the beginning of May 2001. The main goal of the operation was to secure the Lipkovo dam, which

5964-550: The violence. On 28 April 2001, eight Macedonian police officers were killed in the Vejce Ambush in an NLA ambush. Reports concluded that the attackers must have been informed by radio about the route of the police vehicle. Macedonian sources disclosed that the ambush was executed by Ismail Shinasi (alias Komandant Hoxha), Ceka Ilaz (alias Komandant Qori) and Ceka Bilal (alias Komandant Brada) – all three, and most of their people, were born in Kosovo and were veteran members of

6048-440: The war. The burden of having to address the needs of 360,000 refugees took its toll on Macedonia's economy. Instead of experiencing modest growth as projected for 1999, the Macedonian economy shrank by as much as 10% of GDP for the rest of 1999. Trade with Yugoslavia , Macedonia's main trading partner, had collapsed, causing Macedonia to lose one of its most important export markets and a vital source of raw materials. Consequently,

6132-496: The western part of Macedonia, towards the international border with Albania. They also lived in the north-western part of Macedonia, toward the border with the Yugoslav province of Serbia and the then-UN-administered Kosovo , as well as in the Macedonian capital Skopje and the city of Kumanovo . They also comprised the majority of the population in the Macedonian towns of Tetovo , Gostivar , and Debar . Since independence,

6216-564: Was assigned to German troops along their sector of the Macedonian-Kosovar border. Given the mountainous nature of the terrain, there were many dead spots for the observer on the ground. To overcome this disadvantage, the German military integrated the armoured-vehicle-mounted RATAC surveillance radar and the Luna X-2000 UAV. The Luna X-2000 flew a total of 175 sorties, and a number of suspected rebels were arrested. US Army forces of

6300-464: Was banned from public display. The Albanian language was taught in some schools but could not be used for official correspondence. The United States Department of State reported that the following forms of discrimination against ethnic Albanians continued to exist in Macedonia: limited access to Albanian-language media and education; poor representation in public sector jobs; poor representation in

6384-592: Was changed to an assembly fabricated from stamped parts. The new trigger guard has a rib running around the exterior of both sides. While the exact number of changes made to this model have not been specified, the impact on production in 1956 were extensive and drastically reduced the number produced that year. There was a specific reason for this. From 1956 on, all M48 production was intended solely for export. M48BO: 1956-1965- The "bo" stands for "bez oznake" and translates roughly as "unmarked" or "without markings." These were identical to and manufactured concurrent with

6468-450: Was designed with a stock similar to the 98k, but it has a shorter intermediate-length action and receiver, as does the similar M24 series Mauser. The M24 series Mausers were built from prewar Yugoslav Model 24 Mausers and then refurbished with newer Belgian parts, and usually have straight bolts, while the M48s have curved bolts. Most M48 stocks are made from thicker Elm or Beech wood and have

6552-527: Was held by the insurgents. The NLA closed the valves that were used for control of the outflow of water from the dam of the Lipkovo Lake This stopped the supply of water for Kumanovo causing a humanitarian crisis for the civilian population in the city. The Army captured the Lipkovo lake and pushed the NLA back into the village. Unlike Vaksince, Matejče and other villages on the battleground, Lipkovo still had 10,000 people who were not evacuated by

6636-463: Was killed. NLA sources however, confirmed that during the Tetovo offensive of the Macedonian army they had lost seven armed men. The NLA's dislodging from the hills above Tetovo led to a month-long lull in the conflict. During the month-long calm period, a result of the offensive by Macedonian security forces, the government launched roundtable discussions with Macedonian and Albanian political parties on legislative reforms. However, this did not end

6720-404: Was located close to Lojane. On 25 May 2001, Macedonian security forces launched the long-awaited general offensive against the NLA in Kumanovo. 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

6804-402: Was more than 11% of the country's population. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, around 360,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees repatriated in the second half of 1999. Macedonia's ability to receive refugees was limited, because contingency planning assumed only 20,000 refugees. Despite all the difficulties, Macedonia accepted refugees according to international standards until the end of

6888-409: Was the only ex- Yugoslav republic that managed to secede non-violently from the federation. Because of this, Macedonia was considered one of the bright spots in the former Yugoslavia . Although Macedonia had seceded from Yugoslavia as one of its poorest regions, socio-economic interventions undertaken by the consecutive democratically elected governments managed to improve the economic picture in

6972-461: Was the only supplier of military weapons to Macedonia based on a bilateral military cooperation agreement that started in 1999. Western officials vehemently protested Ukrainian arms shipments to Macedonia, Kyiv was visited by EU Secretary-General Javier Solana , U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice , to pressure the Ukrainian government into suspending its arms supplies to Macedonia,

7056-635: Was used in the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962) , the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) , the Iraq-Iran War (1980-1988) , the War in Yugoslavia (1991-2001) and the last one at civil war in Syria (2011-) . As such, the M48 saw use in the Yugoslav Wars , thousands being used by various militias or paramilitary forces. Often the M48 was used as the basis for a sniper rifle , drilled and tapped for

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