On September 24 of last year, a group of armed Serbian paramilitaries, led by the former vice president of the Serbian List, now-terrorist Milan Radoičić, carried out a terrorist attack in Banjska, Zvečan.
In this attack, Police Sergeant and Hero Afrim Bunjaku was killed, and one of his colleagues was injured.
Among the terrorists, who were reported to have been around 90 in number, 3 were killed by Kosovo Police special units.
However, a statement made last night by the Deputy Minister of Local Government Administration, Arbër Vokrri, when speaking about the Banjska attack, surprised everyone.
“If we had followed the will of some KFOR commander present at the time, we would likely have been negotiating where to draw the border—Vushtrri, Mitrovica, or elsewhere. But it was the blood of Afrim Bunjaku, the sacrifice, and selflessness of his colleagues, not the NATO soldiers present, that mattered,” Vokrri said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the KFOR mission stated that their stance on the events in Banjska last fall is public, transparent, and has consistently remained the same.
“What happened in Banjska was unacceptable, and we continue to call for those responsible to be brought to justice.”
According to the KFOR spokesperson, the events in Banjska demonstrated excellent cooperation between the Kosovo Police, EULEX, and KFOR as the first, second, and third responders, respectively.
“The Kosovo Police were the immediate responders on the ground, while KFOR and EULEX were present and ready to provide support if requested. The effective response of the Kosovo Police prevented further escalation of violence and helped quickly stabilize the situation in the area,” the KFOR spokesperson told Klan.
He added that, as a result of last year’s events in the north, KFOR increased its presence in Kosovo by about 1,000 additional troops from reserves.
“We have quadrupled our presence in the north and tripled patrols, including along the border line.”
“These were careful steps to ensure that KFOR had the forces, capabilities, and flexibility to continue fulfilling its UN mandate effectively, to contribute to a secure environment for all people living in Kosovo, and to ensure freedom of movement, at all times and impartially.”
“This has been the largest reinforcement of our contingent in Kosovo in a decade, and it shows that NATO is ready to maintain peace,” the KFOR spokesperson emphasized.
It should be recalled that Milan Radoičić, along with his terrorist group, fled to Serbia on foot after the aggression in Banjska. No indictment has been raised against Radoičić in Serbia yet, while the Special Prosecutor’s Office of Kosovo has already filed charges against him and 44 others suspected of being involved in the attack.
