Kosovo Police have found military equipment and clothing hidden in a sewer manhole on “Zoran Gjingjiq” Street in North Mitrovica. The competent authorities have launched an investigation to determine their origin and how they ended up there.

The discovery was made on August 7, at around 1:30 p.m., when officers from the North Mitrovica Police Station were carrying out a routine patrol.

The police officers noticed that a sewer manhole was open. During a search inside it, they came across a black plastic bag that aroused their suspicions.

After the bag was removed from the manhole, it was found to contain five military caps, two tactical vests with ammunition pouches, a military belt, magazine and radio-communication pouches, two military ammunition bags and a pair of gloves.

In its statement, Kosovo Police said that the black bag had been spotted during the inspection of the manhole and that, after it was removed, military clothing and equipment were found inside.

Given that similar cases have previously been recorded in the area, security experts say institutions should verify whether this involves isolated incidents or a broader phenomenon.

According to them, the investigation should establish the source of the equipment, how it was hidden and the individuals who may be connected to it. They are calling for a preventive approach and cooperation among institutions, but warn that hasty or political conclusions should not be drawn before the investigation is completed.

Racaj: Serious treatment is needed, but not panic

Prof. Dr. Muhamet Racaj, a retired Major General, told “Bota sot” that security institutions should attach particular importance to the case and not automatically regard it as an isolated incident.

Racaj said the discovery of military equipment and clothing in a manhole on “Zoran Gjingjiq” Street should be examined seriously, especially because similar equipment had previously been found in the same area.

From a security perspective, he said, placing such materials in a public space indicates that someone had the opportunity, motive and plan to keep them outside the control of the institutions. However, the location where they were discovered alone is not enough to determine how they were intended to be used or whether they had been prepared for any illegal activity.

He said these uncertainties could be clarified only through a professional investigation, which should include an analysis of the equipment, forensic traces and its origin, as well as verification of any possible links to specific individuals or groups.

Racaj called for the incident to be analyzed within the broader security framework, including organized crime and hybrid threats. At the same time, he stressed that institutions should not reach conclusions before the investigation is completed.

According to him, the hidden materials may have served as a logistical reserve for certain structures, but it is also possible that they are remnants of previous activities. For this reason, any political or speculative interpretation should be avoided until the investigative process is complete.

Operationally, Racaj listed several concrete steps that Kosovo Police should take in coordination with other security institutions. First, he said, the confiscated materials need to be fully inventoried and examined by experts.

The origin of the equipment, its production period and the channel through which it entered the territory should then be determined. In addition, forensic traces and data that could help identify those responsible should be examined.

As a fourth step, he proposed analyzing all similar cases previously recorded in North Mitrovica in order to establish whether there is a recurring pattern.

Racaj said the work of the institutions should not be limited solely to responding after equipment is found. According to him, the aim should also be to detect at an early stage any potential networks involved in obtaining, transporting and hiding it.

He called for stronger police intelligence and inter-institutional coordination, particularly in areas where there are signs of illegal possession of weapons or military equipment. According to Racaj, the objective should not remain merely the confiscation of materials after their discovery, but the prior identification of the structures that may supply, transport and hide them.

Concluding his statement to “Bota sot,” Racaj described the case as a signal requiring greater vigilance, but not panic. He said public safety is best protected through professional investigations, accurate intelligence, territorial control and cooperation among institutions.

According to him, any military equipment hidden illegally should be considered a possible part of a larger chain until the investigation proves otherwise.

Elezi: The discovery should not be viewed as an isolated case

Security expert Bedri Elezi also told “Bota sot” that the incident should not be reduced to an ordinary discovery by Kosovo Police. He called for a full investigation into the circumstances and a detailed risk assessment.

Elezi said that hiding military equipment and clothing in a manhole on “Zoran Gjingjiq” Street cannot simply be treated as an isolated incident. The fact that materials of this kind had previously been found in the area, he said, adds weight to the case.

When the same phenomenon is repeated within the same geographical area, he said, institutions should not limit themselves to asking what was found. Investigators must determine who placed the equipment there, when it was hidden, what its purpose was and whether a network or structure lies behind it.

According to Elezi, there is no evidence-based basis for saying that the materials were used in criminal activities or were part of a specific plan. Nevertheless, such a possibility should not be ruled out before a professional investigation is conducted.

He explained that the clothing, tactical equipment and military materials could be remnants of past activity, items prepared for future use or materials that had been left behind. For a distinction to be made between these possibilities, forensic examination and determination of their origin are crucial.

Elezi called on investigators to carefully analyze how the equipment was hidden, since the location where it was found could itself provide important information about the circumstances.

If the materials were deliberately hidden rather than abandoned by chance, then the way they were placed constitutes an important investigative element. He noted that a sewer manhole could be used to conceal items, store them temporarily and avoid detection.

According to him, this circumstance does not in itself prove the existence of a criminal intent, but it should be taken seriously. For this reason, Elezi proposed that institutions examine the case on several levels.

During the first phase, the exact origin of each item should be identified, documenting the manufacturer, model, identifying numbers, distinctive markings and supply routes. It should also be verified whether any of the items had been part of a police or military structure.

During the second phase, according to Elezi, a forensic examination should be conducted and, where possible, biological traces, DNA, fingerprints and any other evidence that could lead to the individuals who used the equipment or placed it in the manhole should be analyzed.

As a third step, he called for the latest discovery to be compared with all previous cases involving similar equipment in the north. According to him, each incident should not be investigated separately; instead, a consolidated overview should be prepared of the cases, locations, types of materials and concealment methods.

Elezi argued that only such an interconnected analysis can show whether this is a recurring pattern. As a fourth step, he called for close cooperation between Kosovo Police, other security institutions and international partners, particularly in the exchange of data and efforts to establish the origin of the equipment.

He added that institutions should pay attention to preventing similar cases and identifying any structure that may be connected to them.

According to Elezi, the institutional approach should move from responding after an incident to taking preventive action. If such cases are repeatedly recorded in an area, a special risk analysis should be conducted, intelligence information should be collected systematically and the individuals or structures potentially involved should be identified.

From the perspective of national security, he stressed that what matters is not only what has been discovered, but also what may continue to remain hidden. For this reason, it would be a mistake to consider the case closed merely because the equipment has been confiscated and the Police have issued a statement.

Elezi said the investigation must answer the central question: whether these are isolated and abandoned materials or a sign of more organized activity.

If such cases continue to recur, he said, they should no longer be viewed as a series of random incidents, but as a security indicator requiring a dedicated analysis and a coordinated institutional response.

Concluding his comments to “Bota sot,” Elezi said every discovery of hidden military equipment in northern Kosovo should be treated with the utmost seriousness, without panic, politicization, prejudice or underestimation. He stressed that preventive security begins when institutions manage to understand the signals before they turn into incidents.

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