Macedonia: US & Albanian flags grace National Liberation Army (UCK) memorial

The US and Albanian flags stood side by side at a monument dedicated to fighter's from the National Liberation Army (UCK) in Poroj, Friday. The fighters were killed during the 2001 conflict with the Macedonian state, with fresh flowers placed at the tombs of the former militants. At its height the UCK had some 5,000 men under its command, generally armed with small arms and ordnance. The 2001 armed conflict ended when the UCK officially disbanded under the Ohrid agreement, a framework that claimed to set the groundwork for more rights for ethnic Albanians in Macedonia. On April 21, 2015, a group of up to 40 men with alleged links to the UCK attacked a police border station in Gosince. They stole arms from the station before leaving for the Kosovan border. On May 9, 2015, another group of around 40 militants attacked the city of Kumanovo on the Kosovan border. Eight police officers and 14 militants were killed in the fighting.