The Macedonian government issued a statement that said its military and political objectives had been achieved in the three-week long fight against the NLA. However, the government said that the military danger was not over. The government statement said 3,400 Macedonian troops had been involved in the ground offensive in the Tetovo area. The government said that it had used police units to go into villages, not Macedonian Army units. Army units are used to cordon off areas, support the police (presumably with artillery fire and tanks), and to patrol and seal the Kosovo border. The Macedonian government refers to the NLA as terrorists. Using special police as the primary counter-guerrilla force thus makes a political point. As far as the Macedonian government is concerned, the war is a war against bandits, smugglers, and terrorists, not a civil war pitting Macedonian Albanians against Macedonian Slavs. However, the NLA issued a press release accusing the Macedonian government of lying. The NLA said its forces were still strong and capable.