Serbia’s Minister of Defense Miloš Vučević has stated that Serbia’s position in negotiations for normalizing relations with Kosovo has become “more complex” following the attack in the village of Banjska in the municipality of Zvecan.
“A significant number of international representatives began promoting the narrative that there are terrorists in Serbia, that Serbia sponsors terrorism, and that it should be sanctioned and condemned,” Vučević told Radio Television Serbia.
He reiterated Belgrade’s official stance that Serbia had no connection to the September 24 attack in Banjska and emphasized that the exact nature of the incident had not yet been determined.
“I can see that many people in Serbia are drawing hasty conclusions about what happened in Banjska on Sunday,” Vučević remarked, adding that since 1999, “Serbia has not had de facto authority” in Kosovo.
“This makes it much more challenging for us and our authorities to gather all the facts,” said the Serbian Minister of Defense.
Kosovo Police announced on Tuesday that searches of homes and properties in and around the village of Banjska in Zvecan, where an armed and masked group attacked Kosovo Police on September 24, had concluded.
A Kosovo police officer was killed, and several others were injured.
In the ensuing exchange of fire, Kosovo Police killed three Serbian nationals.
Eight attackers were arrested and charged with terrorism, actions against Kosovo’s constitutional order and security.
In the area around Banjska, Kosovo Police later discovered a large arsenal of various caliber weapons.
On September 26, Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla released a video stating that among the armed individuals who clashed with Kosovo Police was Milan Radojičić, Deputy Chairman of the Serb List.
The Serb List is the largest party representing Kosovo Serbs and has the backing of Belgrade.
Radojičić is on the U.S. blacklist due to allegations of corruption and international crime, and Kosovo authorities also link him to the murder of Oliver Ivanović, a Serbian opposition politician in Kosovo.
Kosovo authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Radojičić for “witness tampering” in the “Brezovica” case, involving corruption and unauthorized construction.
Sveçla claimed that every day it is becoming apparent that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, through the Serb List and Deputy Chairman Milan Radojičić, “has launched a terrorist action against the legal and constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo”.
The international community condemned the attack on Kosovo Police, calling for a full investigation into all circumstances and for those responsible to face justice.
