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08 11 2007 Skopje_ An ethnic Albanian convict involved in a violent break-out from Kosovo’s Dubrava prison in August was among those killed in a clash with Macedonian police on Wednesday.
Ramadan Siti was one of six gunmen killed in a gun battle that lasted several hours in the area north of the town of Tetovo, Macedonian police confirmed on Thursday.
One policeman was wounded in the leg and there were no civilian casualties, police spokesman Ivo Kotevski told media.
Sanja Stosik, the spokesperson of the Skopje Clinical Centre, told local media that a total of 11 people were wounded in the police action.
Police are still searching for Lirim Jakupi, also known as “Nazi”, another escaped convict from Dubrava prison, who was believed to be among the armed men.
Commenting on the police action, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski told media on Thursday that it meant “the rule of the law is upheld on the whole territory of Macedonia”.
Victoria Nuland, the US ambassador to NATO, who is visiting Macedonia, praised the fact that the police forces involved were of mixed ethnic backgrounds, including both Macedonians and Albanians.
Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska said on Wednesday that police operation “Mountain Storm”, launched earlier that day, was aimed at breaking up and arresting the members of a criminal and extremist group consisting of around 15 well armed men. Read more at http://www.birn.eu.com/en/111/15/5714/
Last week Xhavid Morina, another escaped convict from Dubrava Prison, was found dead near Odri, a village close to Tetovo. See more at http://www.birn.eu.com/en/110/15/5462/
Groups of men in black, armed with Kalashnikov rifles, have been patrolling the road to Brodec and Sipkovica - a stronghold of ethnic Albanian guerrillas during the 2001 insurgency. Read more at http://www.birn.eu.com/en/110/15/5455/
Despite rising concern that the presence of armed groups could be linked to the deadlock over Kosovo's status, and have the potential to stir up ethnic trouble in Macedonia, the government has repeatedly dismissed reports of armed groups, saying the security situation in the country is stable.
At the beginning of 2010 BIRN network published Digging Deeper - A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans, written in cooperation with Sheila Coronel, Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and professor of professional practice at Columbia University, New York.
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