Three years after the armed attack in Banjska, Zvečan, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has commemorated the death of Kosovo Police Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, who was killed in the line of duty on September 24, 2023.
Kurti described Bunjaku as a “hero of Kosovo,” emphasizing that he died while protecting the rule of law, Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“The organized, directed and financed paramilitary terrorist group from Belgrade, led by Milan Radoičić, failed in its covert attack, which aimed at armed conflict and bloodshed at a 14th-century Orthodox monastery, followed by the annexation of northern Kosovo,” Kurti wrote.
He said the attack was thwarted by the determination and professionalism of Kosovo’s security, intelligence and public institutions in defending the Republic, peace, rights and security for all.
Kurti also recalled that those responsible for the attack remain a matter of justice, saying Kosovo would not abandon efforts to bring them before its courts.
“Our state will never give up searching for them until everyone has faced justice and received the punishment they deserve,” Kurti said.
The Banjska attack took place on September 24, 2023, when an armed group attacked Kosovo Police officers in the village of Banjska. Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku was killed during the attack. Kosovo authorities have repeatedly called for Milan Radoičić and others linked to the attack to face justice in Kosovo.
In his statement, Kurti recalled that the road at the site of the attack now bears Afrim Bunjaku’s name. The Kosovo Government formally named the Balaban–Banjska section of the regional road after Bunjaku in 2024.
Kurti also referred to the three members of the armed group who were killed during the police operation and said that three others have been imprisoned since the day of the attack, while the remaining suspects would eventually face justice in Kosovo.
“It is true that they caused us harm and suffering, but we have prevailed. Our independent state, the Republic of Kosovo, has prevailed over aggression and crime; the hero has prevailed over the terrorists,” Kurti wrote.
He concluded by paying tribute to Bunjaku and his sacrifice:
“Glory to the life and work of Sergeant, hero Afrim Bunjaku.”
