a ski resort on the outskirts of town, killing the pilot and wounding 16 policemen. Most of the rebels held out on Baltepe Mountain. From the Koltak district, Macedonian forces poured fire onto Albanian positions. This was often returned with machine gun, sniper, and mortar fire. A series of blasts was clearly visible in the hills above Tetovo as terrified residents scurried for cover below. The hills had been occupied by Albanian guerrilla forces for the past week. The Macedonian army was firing indiscriminately and several of the rising columns of smoke came from civilian houses. There was no word on casualties, but the risk to civilians was high. The hills around Tetovo are dotted with houses and it was not clear if they had all been evacuated. The NLA stood their ground. A short time after the start of the Government offensive, the Macedonian army issued an ultimatum, giving the NLA 24 hours to cease hostilities and surrender, or leave Macedonia. After the deadline, Macedonian security forces continued using all their means against positions of the rebels. The Macedonian onslaught began just hours after the rebels offered to join peace talks. Staunch resistance by 100 NLA fighters cornered in the Gracani area after the Tetovo fighting continued to harass the ARM, whose infantry units seemed extremely reluctant to engage in an open battle. Operation MH Operation MH was the first Macedonian offensive planned and executed to clear out the rebels after weeks of skirmishes with the NLA. It began on March 25 with a combined assault by Macedonian Army and Police forces in the city of Tetovo and the surrounding villages which resulted with the routing of NLA forces and their removal from the Tetovo area, the NLA called it a tactical retreat. The offensive ended two days later with the Macedonian security forces taking control of the city, the fortified medieval fortress and the surrounding villages. Vejce Ambush Macedonian Army soldiers were attacked near the village of Vejce, nine miles north of Tetovo. Stevo Pendarovski, the Interior Ministry spokesman, said Eight are killed and two are injured. They were fired at with machine guns and rocket launchers. Macedonian forces responded, and the attackers withdrew. The situation is quiet now. It was an isolated incident. The assumption was premature. The slaying of the eight commandos, which was an enormous loss for a country of only two million people, provoked