Sep 24, 2023 at 8:28 PM Update: 33 minutes ago
A battle between armed men and Kosovar authorities in a Kosovo monastery near the Serbian border ended on Sunday. Three men and an officer were killed, four others were arrested.
This was reported by Kosovo’s Minister of the Interior Xhelal Svecla. An unidentified group in military gear had entered northern Kosovo and engaged in a firefight with police.
The approximately thirty armed men barricaded themselves in a monastery, where they were surrounded by the police. Several gun battles took place between both sides.
Earlier in the day, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti spoke on social media about a “terrorist attack”. “Organized crime is attacking our country, with financial and logistical support from Belgrade officials,” Kurti said. Serbia has not responded.
In Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008, there have been tensions between ethnic Albanians and ethnic Serbs for years. The historically Serbian region has an ethnic Albanian majority.
In 1999, NATO countries bombed Yugoslavia, forcing Serbian troops and many civilians to leave the region. But in the north there is still a Serb majority of about 120,000 people, who do not recognize the authority of the government in Pristina.
Image: AFP
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2023-09-24 19:33:52
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