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"Banjska" that deepened Kosovo-Serbia tensions/ From the killing of the policeman, to the organizer and the weapons arsenals

2024-01-02 14:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

"Banjska" that deepened Kosovo-Serbia tensions/ From the killing of

In the early hours of September 24, 2023, two trucks without license plates were placed on the bridge at the entrance to the village of Banjské in Kosovo, blocking traffic.

Kosovo police units intervened immediately, but the people who had entered the north shot and killed officer Afrim Bunjaku.

The incident where Bunjak was killed marked the beginning of an armed clash between the Kosovo Police and an armed group in Zveçan.

After the killing of the police officer, dozens of armed people moved from the bridge and settled in the monastery of the village of Banjské in the municipality of Zveçan and around it.

From the exchange of fire, 3 Serbian attackers were killed and three other members of the Kosovo Police were injured. The fight ended when most of the gunmen escaped.

Initially, it was said that 30 armed men had entered the north, but then, the Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, stated that the number of aggressors was over 90.

Out of this large number, 8 people were arrested, who were then handed over to Serbia.

Milan Radoicic, the arrest and release of the organizer of the attack

The organizer of the attack was Milan Radoicic, the former vice-president of the Serbian List, while it was confirmed that the other armed persons were also of Serbian nationality.

Radoicic claimed responsibility for the attack, resigned as vice-president of the Serbian List and renounced ownership of companies in Serbia.

The Serbian authorities put him in handcuffs and then released him, while refusing to extradite him to Kosovo with the argument that they do not recognize him as a state and therefore neither do the institutions of justice.

Radoicic has been placed under sanctions by the United States of America and the United Kingdom. He was declared "non grata" under suspicion of organized crime and corruption. Serbia said that it has no international obligation to respect these punitive measures.

The attitude of the internationals and the responsibility that weighs on Serbia

The attack in Banjska was described as a terrorist act by Kosovo institutions and Western diplomats, while the authorities in Serbia denied having any connection with the group.

The parliament of Kosovo and that of Serbia adopted a resolution condemning the aggressors.

They called for an international investigation into Serbia to determine Belgrade's role in the attack.

Lista Serbe announced three days of national mourning in honor of 3 armed persons who were killed in a clash with the police.

There was strong criticism of the USA from Albania and Kosovo, as well as other countries, for the delayed reaction of the EU, which did not initially condemn the attack in Banjska.

Afterwards, the United States and the European Union strongly condemned the attack and demanded that those responsible face justice.

About a month after this event, the European Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the Serbian aggression of September 24.

The EP called on the European Union "to impose restrictive measures on the Serbian leadership, if its involvement in the attack in Banjska is confirmed."

Arsenal of weapons seized in the north

After the attack, authorities found and seized arsenals of weapons in several different operations.

Some of them were rocket launchers, grenade launchers, mine launchers, machine guns, snipers, machine guns, military vehicles, explosives, military uniforms, etc.

Sve?la said that the weapons found could supply hundreds of people for the war.

Media in Kosovo reported that the weapons and ammunition were produced in Serbian and former Yugoslav arms factories. However, this has not been confirmed./ CNA





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