In a disturbing turn of events, Kosovo has issued a stern demand to Serbia, urging the surrender of ethnic Serb gunmen who reportedly evaded capture following a violent clash with Kosovar police. The confrontation, which unfolded in the volatile northern region of Kosovo, left four individuals dead, exacerbating the already strained relations between Pristina and Belgrade.
The armed assailants launched an audacious attack on the village of Banjska on Sunday, engaging in a fierce firefight with the police before taking refuge within a Serbian Orthodox monastery. After a protracted standoff, law enforcement authorities successfully regained control of the monastery late on Sunday, with casualties on both sides—three attackers and one police officer lost their lives.
The United States swiftly condemned these brazen attacks on the police and called upon the governments of Kosovo and Serbia to seek a resolution to decades-long hostilities that have plagued the region.
As the dust settled, armed police embarked on a house-to-house search in Banjska on Monday, seeking any remnants of the estimated 30 gunmen who may not have fled the scene. The village remained cordoned off from the prying eyes of journalists.
Later in the day, Kosovar authorities divulged that they believed some of the gunmen had managed to escape to neighboring Serbia.
Xhelal Svecla, Kosovo’s Interior Minister, revealed that six wounded members of the armed group had been admitted to hospitals in Novi Pazar, a southern Serbian city situated near the northern border of Kosovo. “We are demanding that Serbia promptly hand over these individuals to Kosovo authorities to face justice for their acts of terror,” stated Svecla, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
In the northern town of Mitrovica, Kosovar police provided a glimpse into the arsenal of weaponry and equipment used by the gunmen. Among the items displayed were approximately 20 SUVs and an armored vehicle reportedly utilized by the assailants. Notably, three of these vehicles bore the insignia of KFOR, the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
Moreover, the police showcased a formidable array of seized weapons and ammunition, including former Yugoslav army assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, mortars, anti-tank rocket launchers, hand grenades, land mines, and drones.
This ominous incident has exacerbated the long-standing standoff in Kosovo. Despite ethnic Albanians constituting the majority of Kosovo’s population, approximately 50,000 Serbs in the northern region vehemently reject Kosovo’s statehood, regarding Belgrade as their capital. This contentious situation persists 15 years after Kosovo’s declaration of independence following a guerrilla uprising, with Serbia steadfastly refusing to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, speaking at a ceremony to honor the fallen police officer, Afrim Bunjaku, stated, “From yesterday, nothing can be the same anymore.” He went on to assert that the attack was carried out by “a group of heavily armed and heavily equipped, professionally trained and planned, politically supported, materially financed, and logistically supported by Serbia,” in direct contradiction to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s denials.
In response to the incident, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called upon both Kosovo and Serbia to refrain from actions or rhetoric that could further escalate tensions in the region.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin expressed its concern over the “tense and potentially dangerous” situation in Kosovo. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic engaged in discussions with Russian Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko in Belgrade, accusing Kosovo’s Albin Kurti of inciting violence by impeding the establishment of an association of Serb municipalities and conducting frequent police operations in the north.
Kurti, on the other hand, has argued that granting significant autonomy to northern Serbs would effectively partition Kosovo along ethnic lines.
As the international community watches with apprehension, the situation in Kosovo remains precarious, with the hope for a peaceful resolution hanging in the balance.
By Reuters
