Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, stated that the September 24, 2023 attack in Banjska was an attempt by Serbia to undermine the country’s independence and territorial integrity.
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During the memorial ceremony for Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, who lost his life that day in an attack by a Serbian paramilitary formation, the head of the executive stressed that for many years the northern region had been described as an uncontrolled space and the epicenter of organized crime.
Kurti: Serbia realized that the presence of its structures within the territory of the Republic of Kosovo has now been eliminated
“For a long time and continuously, the north of Kosovo has been seen as a point of destabilization, a forgotten territory, an uncontrolled zone where crime, illegal structures and gangs flourished. The mountainous landscape and the rough terrain had become open paths for arms and goods trafficking, outlaw activities and endless movements of criminal elements. There was a silent approval that in the north of Kosovo one could act and profit outside any legal logic and democratic order. This unbearable and worrying situation required an inevitable transformation. The transition from this anomaly to normality encountered organized resistance from criminal groups directed and orchestrated by official Belgrade. Serbia failed in its numerous attempts to maintain strong influence in the north of our state. Neither road blockades, nor constant aggressions against our institutions and KFOR, nor programmed collective departures, nor intimidation with MIG planes and military troops deployed near the border, with advanced military and gendarmerie posts and a high level of readiness for offension, succeeded. Serbia became aware that it has now lost control and that the presence and capacity of its mechanisms within the borders of the Republic of Kosovo have been destoyed,” he said.
Kurti directly linked this situation to the aggression of September 24, 2023 in Banjska, wich he described as a param military operation sponsored, funded, trained and ordered by Serbia.
Kurti: They aimed to imitate yet another hybrid method of Russia: annexation of territory
“In this new context, they sought of reproduce another hybrid tactic of Russia: the annexation of land. The paramilitary offension of Septemer 24 in Banjska, three years ago, was carried out by a terrorist cell backed, funded, trained and commanded by the Serbian state, under the direction of Milan Radoicic. Dressed in combat uniforms and armed with weaponry of the Serbian Armed Forces, that morning they encoutered a Kosovo Police patrol and attacked its members. By detonating a remote-controled landmine, the Serbian terrorists took the life of Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku and wounded policeman Alban Rashiti,” Kurti emphasized.
He pointed out that, evven three years after the event, the main organizer Milan Radoicic and the other members of the group continue to be sheltered in Serbia and insisted that they must appear before the justice organs in Kosovo.
Kurti: Milan Radoicic and the other members of the paramilitary terrorist group must face justice in Kosovo
“Three years after the Banjska attack, Milan Radoicic and the other members of the paramilitary terrorist formation continue to be protected by the president of Serbia, who provides them with shelter and services. They must answer before the law in Kosovo and be tried for this military-scale aggression against our state and for the killing of Afrim Bunjaku. We will not stop demanding justice. Afrim, our hero, faced the terrorists of this state and criminal attack. He gave his life in defense of the country and peace. His sacrifice in the line of duty makes him a symbol of the defense of national independence, territorial integrity, public order and the rule of law. Thanks to Afrim Bunjaku’s sacrifice and bravery, the right path of extending state authority over 17% of our territory was not blocked. After neutralizing the attack of the Serbian paramilitary group, the full activity of the state and all its institutions began for the first time in the north of the country. Then cam, many achievements and victories in this three-year period, in service of legality and security for all citizens without exception,” he stated.
