The International Crisis Group (ICG), which focuses on preventing global conflicts, has released a draft report on security in the Western Balkans, specifically in Kosovo.
In the report, ICG details findings on the attack in Banjska, which were discussed in the NATO General Assembly’s Defense and Security Committee.
The report states that KFOR negotiated the withdrawal of Serbian paramilitaries from Banjska to avoid bloodshed. “Fearing a bloodbath, KFOR negotiated the withdrawal of the group into the surrounding forests, from where they dispersed. Kosovo believes up to 200 other fighters were hiding in the dense forest between Banjska and the Serbian border,” the report reads.
Security expert Avni Islami commented that this report is not new to Kosovo’s institutions. According to him, the goal of Kosovo’s security institutions was not to kill the terrorists inside the Banjska Monastery but to preserve Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The latest report on the Banjska case is not news to security experts and Kosovo state institutions. The way they were surrounded made it impossible for them to escape as they did. Considering they were fully exposed, all those inside Kosovo’s territory could have been executed or killed by Kosovo’s Special Unit snipers. The aim of Kosovo’s security institutions was not to kill people but to expel them and prevent greater harm within Kosovo’s territory,” Islami said.
He added that not executing or killing the intruders achieved a much more significant impact. “Politically and internationally, Kosovo benefited by adhering to the agreement KFOR reached with the criminals. The goal was to preserve Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, not to kill a large number of those who entered Kosovo’s territory. The aim was to neutralize them, confiscate their weapons, and expel them from Kosovo,” Islami explained.
On September 24, 2023, an armed Serbian group attacked Kosovo Police in Banjska, resulting in the death of Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. Three attackers were killed in the firefight.
Kosovo holds Serbia responsible for organizing and carrying out the attack, a claim Belgrade denies. The former vice-president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoičić, claimed responsibility for the attack. He is believed to be in Serbia, and an international arrest warrant has been issued for him by INTERPOL.
The international community has repeatedly called for those responsible for the attack to be brought to justice.
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