General Erhard Buhler, who was KFOR commander for a year, continues to monitor the situation in Kosovo, especially the security situation.
He commented on the terrorist attack on the monastery in the village of Banjské, which was carried out a few months ago by an armed group from Serbia, and the recent statement by the Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, about how they have information that about two hundred people from Serbia are armed and ready for some kind of attack in Kosovo.
“That part of Europe, not only Kosovo, was destabilized after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The attack on the monastery in the village of Banjska was definitely a terrorist attack. As far as I know and can judge, it is not possible that they carried out the attack alone. Several institutions of the Serbian security forces must have been involved. At least they knew about the attack and supported it. Otherwise, they cannot be exercised on the official territory of the Serbian forces. (…) In a country like Serbia, this is not possible without knowing the highest levels”, said Buhler in an interview for Croatian public television, HRT.
Regarding the new threat, he said that there is no such information that the intelligence services probably have.
“Kosovo is in a very good position. In Kosovo, there are military forces under the mandate of the Security Council. They worry about the security of Kosovo. No decision to be made, no Article 5 consultation, you don’t need any decision. The peacekeepers are already there. There are 6,000 soldiers from our countries: from Croatia, Germany, USA, etc. If we know this, there is no reason to continue with that belligerent rhetoric, from both sides”, said the former commander of KFOR.
He added that it is not acceptable to support a terrorist group, nor is it acceptable for the Serbian army to send troops to the border with Kosovo and threaten Kosovo.
“The rhetoric of the Serbian government is not acceptable either. But it is also not necessary to constantly talk about war. It is an obstacle in the development of the entire region. We should not feed such rhetoric that scares people, especially in Kosovo, but also in the countries surrounding Kosovo”, said the German General, Erhard Buhler.
