Harun Aliu was born on 20 May 1971, in the Čento (Albanian: Hasanbeg) neighborhood of Skopje,[1][2] and originated from the village of Nikuštak in the Skopska Crna Gora (Karadak) region near Kumanovo.

In 1998, alongside Beqir Limani, Qemal Shaqiri, and other collaborators, he founded the first cells of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in Macedonia.

One of these blasts targeted the Bit Pazar police station in Skopje, a facility notorious for decades of mistreating Albanians in its cells and offices.

[5] The Kosovo Liberation Army claimed responsibility for all armed actions against police stations and courts across various cities in Macedonia.

[4] After the end of the Kosovo War, Aliu remained in Albania and, along with other future leaders of the NLA, began organizing an uprising in Macedonia.

[4][1] It was there that he and his unit were based, alongside the General Headquarters of the 112th Brigade, which had already initiated its first operations against Macedonian police and military forces.

[1][7] On 5 September 2001, while in Kosovo, Aliu was arrested and subsequently imprisoned by UNMIK forces, receiving a sentence of four years and was sent to Dubrava prison.

[8] After Operation Mountain Storm in November 2007, where six Albanian militants were killed, months later a drive-by ambush occurred on 3 January 2008 targeting the Macedonian "Tigers" special forces.

[1][9] The ambush took place in Skopje's Avtokomanda district,[9] resulting in the death of 40-year-old special forces member Zoran Markovski and the wounding of three others.

[4] The incident occurred as the armed group, traveling in a white van loaded with weapons along the Macedonia-Kosovo border, allegedly opened fire on the police.