KFOR Commander Seeks Serbia’s Support to Ensure Accountability for 2023 Attacks in Kosovo

KFOR Commander Ozkan Ulutash emphasized that he expects Serbia to contribute to enabling accountability regarding the attacks that occurred in Kosovo during 2023.

Speaking about the Banjska incident of that year, he described it as a difficult test for the mission, but stressed that the North Atlantic Alliance responded without delay.

“The events in Banjska in 2023 posed a major challenge that required a swift and decisive intervention,” Ulutash told Info Magazine of Klan Kosova. “NATO responded immediately, and this brought the most significant reinforcement of KFOR’s capabilities in over a decade.”

He added that despite the difficulties encountered over its 27-year history, KFOR has continuously shown that it is capable of fully and impartially implementing the UN mandate, as well as adapting when security circumstances require it.

“Our priority is to ensure that both our stance and our operational presence on the ground are always up to the task. I and every member of KFOR under my command focus on this every day, without interruption,” he said.

Ulutash announced that the mission he leads communicates continuously with the Serbian Armed Forces and that he expects help from official Belgrade to ensure that the perpetrators of the 2023 attacks in Kosovo are held accountable.

“First, I would like to underline that KFOR maintains regular and transparent contacts with the Serbian Armed Forces at all levels,” he said.

“Soon I will go to Belgrade again to meet with the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Mojsilović. This will be my fifth meeting with him during this mandate.”

“I greatly appreciate the cooperation built with General Mojsilović over the years. He has helped in various ways, strengthening transparency, mutual trust, and helping to maintain stability in the region,” he continued.

“Secondly, as the NATO Secretary General and other alliance officials have made known, we expect Serbia’s support to ensure accountability for the unjustifiable attacks that occurred in Kosovo in 2023,” Ulutash concluded.