The Albanian National Army (abbreviated ANA; Albanian: Armata Kombëtare Shqiptare, AKSh), is an ethnic Albanian organization closely associated with the Kosovo Liberation Army — operating in the Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo under international administration from 2001. The group opposes the Ohrid Framework Agreement which ended the 2001 Macedonia conflict between insurgents of the National Liberation Army and Macedonian security forces.
| Albanian National Army | |
|---|---|
 Official ensign of the Albanian National Army. | |
| Dates of operation | 2001 – present |
| Active regions | Kosovo Republic of Macedonia (especially Tetovo and Struga) |
| Ideology | Seperatism Greater Albania |
| Allies | Kosovo Liberation Army Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa and Bujanovac National Liberation Army Liberation Army of Chameria |
| Opponents | Serbia Republic of Macedonia |
History
It was formed in 2001 in the Republic of Macedonia.
The ANA appeared in Kosovo in 2007. A video was aired by Kosovar television stations depicting a band of medium-armed, masked individuals intercepting cars. In October, 2007 the unit declared it would seize the Serb exclave of North Kosovo by force if the Kosovo Protection Force does not occupy it by 1 November, 2007.
In early November of 2007, insurgents of the "Political Advisory Body of the Kosovo Liberation Army" suffered a minor crackdown, dubbed Operation Mountain Storm by the Macedonian armed forces in northwestern Macedonia. According to Macedonian authorities; six members of the KLA were killed.[1]
On 13 November, 2007 a video was aired to the public, an exclusive interview with a leader of the ANA patrolling in the covert areas of North Kosovo, recruiting 20 new men. The leader stated that ANA stands at 12,000 men altogether and has called the Kosovar population for a boycott of then-forthcoming elections.
The ANA has claimed that it is patrolling North Kosovo to prevent incursions by the Czar Lazar Guard paramilitary.[2]