A war-ravaged street “Tode Mendol” in the Albanian quarter of the town of Kumanovo is a sad reminder of the anti terrorist operation held in Macedonia two weeks ago. What happened then in the country’s second biggest town still raises more question that it provides answers. What was proclaimed by the Gruevski’s government as a strike against dangerous terror unit has led to the destruction of tens of houses with hundreds of people left homeless or lost their small businesses. Now all the rooftops in the neighbourhood look like giant craters, with large hole in walls and the smelt of burnt still lingering through the street. A row of smashed and burnt vehicle outside homes is another sad sign of how tense the attack on the neighbourhood was. “My whole family of 12 was in the house when the attack began. We managed to hide in the cellar but then all of a sudden I realized that the house above us is on fire. We somehow succeeded in running into the street with our hand held high to show them we were not criminals. Thank god all my loved ones are alive”, an old man says. He is adamant that there are no terrorist in Kumanovo and the Albanian population is not interested in insurgencies and creating ethnical tension. One of his neighbours has lost his small barbershop and is now determined to move out of the town in search of ways to make a living. “What happened to Kumanovo is politicians’ fault. Now I am homeless, my shop I worked so hard to build is destroyed. No place for me here any more”, the man says. Everyone in the street compare their recent experience to a small war. According to the official date 8 policemen and 14 terrrorist were killed during the operation, Kumanovo, Macedonia on May 19, 2015
