On the 3rd anniversary of Banjska, Haxhiu: Afrim Bunjaku fell in the line of duty, the plan for the annexation of the north was thwarted

At the commemorative academy held to mark three years since the fall in the line of duty of Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, acting President Albulena Haxhiu recalled the aggression of September 24, 2023, in Banjska, Zveçan. She emphasized that the Kosovo Police had prevented an attempt by Serbia to secede and annex the north of the country.

Haxhiu stated that Kosovo’s institutions have presented evidence showing that the members of that group were trained and prepared in Serbia, while most of the weaponry also came from Serbia.

According to her, in the early hours of September 24, 2023, Afrim Bunjaku and his colleagues headed to Banjska after being informed that the village entrance was blocked by two trucks. What awaited them there was not a simple police incident, but a terrorist attack organized in advance by a heavily armed group with explosives, armored automatic weapons, and large quantities of ammunition. Haxhiu added that the goal was not only to strike the Kosovo Police but to separate part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo and unite it with Serbia, a fact also established by the Basic Court in Prishtina through the judgment in the Banjska case this year.

She also mentioned Sergeant Bunjaku’s long experience, emphasizing that he had 22 years in the Kosovo Police and 16 years as a sergeant.

Haxhiu recounted that when the police reached the blockade, Bunjaku did not let the younger ones go ahead of him and stepped forward first. At that moment an explosive device detonated. He and police officer Alban Rashiti were wounded, while immediately afterwards the police were fired upon. Lieutenant Mirsad Kryeziu managed to pull Afrim from where he had been wounded. Afrim Bunjaku died that morning in the line of duty, but the plan for which that attack was organized failed. His colleagues continued the operation, the Kosovo Police took control of the situation and stopped the armed group from taking control of the territory in the north of the country. According to Haxhiu, the attempt to secede and annex the north failed thanks to the courage, professionalism, and determination of the Kosovo Police.