Anniversary of the Banjska attack, all suspects are likely in Serbia

(Patria) - The KFOR East Regional Command, led by NATO, has increased patrols in northern Kosovo along with the Kosovo Police ahead of the anniversary of the Banjska conflict.

"KFOR continues to implement its mandate, which is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 from 1999, with the aim of contributing to a secure environment for all people and communities living in Kosovo, as well as freedom of movement at all times and without bias," KFOR announced on its Facebook profile.

Today marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack by a Serb paramilitary formation on the police in that village in northern Kosovo, in which four people were killed.

The Eparchy of Raška and Prizren announced that the monastery in Banjska will be closed to visitors from September 23 to 26. The monastery will be closed for security reasons and to preserve peace, which is currently of great importance.

At the beginning of September, Kosovo filed indictments against 45 individuals suspected of terrorism, almost a year after armed ethnic Serbs stormed a village in northern Kosovo and clashed with the police.

The Chief Prosecutor of the Special Prosecution of Kosovo stated that there is strong evidence that all 45 suspects committed criminal offenses related to terrorism, criminal offenses against the constitutional order, financing of terrorism, and money laundering.

The Kosovo Police learned that about 80 armed attackers entered Kosovo from Serbia in armored vehicles, after which they barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Banjska, which is predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs.

In the shootout, three armed Serbian attackers and a Kosovo police officer were killed, and the remaining attackers fled to Serbia on foot through the hills, leaving behind vehicles loaded with weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

The terrorist attack in Banjska is the most violent incident since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, and it has led to new tensions in the already strained relations between Pristina and Belgrade.

Milan Radoičić, the leader of the paramilitary group and a former leading politician of Kosovo Serbs, who lives in Serbia, claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack and also admitted to participating in it.

Kosovo has accused Serbia and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić of the attack, which official Belgrade denies, although it is suspected that all suspects, including Kosovo citizens, are in Serbia.

However, it appears that those accused of the attack in the village of Banjska will likely not be handed over to the Kosovo authorities, as Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo's independence and considers it its territory.