8 policemen, 14 gunmen killed in Macedonian operation

Eight policemen and 14 gunmen have been killed in an operation against armed group in northern Macedonia, the government confirmed on Sunday.

The police operation, which started on Saturday morning, in the northern Macedonian town of Kumanovo ended on Sunday and the police managed to completely disable the armed group hiding in this town, said spokesperson of the Macedonian Interior Ministry Ivo Kotevski.

A total of eight policemen were killed and 37 are injured trying to disarm and arrest the members of the group which, according to police information, was planning attack on state institutions and civilian targets in Macedonia.

"At the place of the operation we have already spotted 14 bodies of terrorists, but we don't exclude the possibility that the number of killed terrorist might be higher. Some of them were wearing uniforms with signs of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK)," Kotevski explained.

More than 20 members of the group surrendered and are arrested and questioned by the police.