BANJSKA: Hours after a police officer was killed in an ambush involving firearms and explosives in northern Kosovo, gunmen within a Kosovo monastery continue to clash with authorities. This incident marks one of the most serious escalations in Kosovo in recent years, following months of growing tensions and stalled negotiations between the governments in Pristina and Serbia.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti stated that a group of at least 30 heavily armed gunmen was surrounded by authorities near the village of Banjska, where the initial police patrol had been ambushed. Kurti called for their surrender.
The Serbian Orthodox Church confirmed that the gunmen had stormed a monastery in Banjska, where pilgrims from the Serbian city of Novi Sad were staying. Images released by Kosovo authorities showed heavily armed individuals in uniforms barricaded at the monastery.
Kosovo police reported that at least three attackers had been killed and one arrested, with an additional four civilian suspects carrying radio equipment and weapons also arrested. Following the incident, Kosovo police confirmed the closure of the Jarinje and Brnjak border crossings between Serbia and Kosovo.
Kosovo Blames Serbia for Attack
Kurti, in his earlier remarks, labeled the ambush an act of terrorism and attributed the blame to the Serbian government, accusing it of providing political, financial, and logistical support to organized crime attacking Kosovo.
The NATO-led KFOR mission stated that its forces are present in the area and “standing ready to respond if required.”
Tensions in the region have been escalating for months, triggered by the Pristina government’s decision to install ethnic Albanian mayors in four Serb-majority municipalities in May. This move led to demonstrations, the arrest of three Kosovar police officers by Serbia, and violent riots by Serb protesters, resulting in over 30 NATO peacekeepers being injured.
The situation in northern Kosovo is part of the broader dispute between Serbia and Kosovo, dating back to Kosovo’s declaration of independence in 2008, which Serbia and its key allies, including China and Russia, refuse to recognize. The ongoing conflict has stalled efforts to normalize relations between the two nations, despite EU-mediated negotiations in Brussels.
