Raging Gun Battle With 'Armed Group' Kills Eight Police Officers in Macedonia

A gun battle that raged nearly all day Saturday and early Sunday on the streets of Kumanovo in northern Macedonia reportedly left eight police officers and 14 attackers dead.

The Macedonian government said an unidentified "armed group" was responsible for the shootout, according to Reuters.

Gunfire and explosions were first heard Saturday afternoon in Kumanovo, an ethnic Albanian enclave about 12 miles south of Macedonia's border with Serbia. Smoke could be seen rising above rooftops as the fighting continued overnight and spilled into Sunday morning.

According to government officials, the fighting started when security forces conducted a raid after learning that militants had "infiltrated" the country from an unspecified neighboring state and were planning "terrorist acts," according to Reuters.

As fighting subsided early Sunday afternoon, Interior Ministry spokesman Ivo Kotevski told reporters that 37 police officers had been wounded. No civilians were reported killed, and more than 30 people were arrested.

Related: Macedonian Government Accused of Faking Hostage Situation to Inflame Ethnic Tensions

"Security forces have never faced a more serious task," Interior Minister Gordana Jankuloska said Saturday. "They fought a very dangerous terrorist group… The action will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized."

The government declared a period of mourning Sunday and Monday in honor of the officers killed in the fight. Macedonia's President Gjorgje Ivanov called for an emergency session with his security council and sought to meet with opposition leaders, according to Balkan Insight.

The attack comes as unrest and political upheaval threaten the stability of the Balkan country, with a major protest planned against the government on May 17. Protesters demonstrating against Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski clashed with police last week.

The leader of the country's main opposition party, the Social Democrats, has accused Gruevski of abusing his power and illegally wiretapping as many as 20,000 citizens. Some ethnic Albanians claimed the government would try to use the standoff this weekend to stop the May 17 protest.

Related: Macedonia Edging Towards Tipping Point Thanks to Intelligence File Called "The Bomb" 

Albanians comprise approximately 30 percent of Macedonia's 2 million citizens, and members of the minority group have historically felt neglected and underrepresented by the government. A peace deal brokered in 2001 ended an armed conflict between ethnic Albanian forces and the state.

Elham Murad, a Kumanovo resident, told Reuters he fled his home when the shooting started Saturday, but said he was deeply skeptical of the government's claims of a terrorist group being behind the attack. He said that nothing appeared unusual before gunfire broke out except for the appearance of an unmanned drone.

"This is pure manipulation," Murad said. "This is a stunt by Gruevski."

Last month, local media accuse the Macedonian government of faking a hostage situation involving police officers at a border checkpoint to inflame ethnic tensions and draw attention away from the wiretapping scandal. Ethnic Albanian militants were blamed for the attempted kidnapping, which ended with no serious injuries and no arrests.

The European Union has expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Macedonia, particularly citing "the area of rule of law, fundamental rights and freedom of media."

Follow Gillian Mohney on Twitter: @gillianmohney

VICE News' Daniel Nolan and Arijeta Lajka contributed to this report