Kosovo demands Serbia to withdraw all military units from the border line
The Kosovo government made a statement on the latest developments regarding the movement of Serbian military units towards the country's border line.
Serbia has moved its troops closer to the Kosovo border line from three different directions, the statement said, "The military units of the Serbian army yesterday deployed their military and gendarmerie capacities to 48 forward operating bases located along the border line with the Republic of Kosovo, a few kilometres deep into Serbian territory. This deployment also includes anti-aircraft systems and heavy artillery."
The deployment of Serbian military units on the border threatens the territorial integrity of Kosovo and the international military presence in the country, the statement said:
"We have repeatedly expressed our concern about the presence of these 48 bases of the Serbian army and gendarmerie (on the border line) and emphasised the already proven fact that these bases serve to support possible military aggression against the Republic of Kosovo. We call on the Serbian institutions and (Serbian) President (Aleksandar) Vucic to immediately withdraw all military units from the Kosovo border line and to close and demilitarise the 28 forward military bases and 20 gendarmerie bases that pose a permanent threat to our country."
The statement emphasised that the Kosovo government is in constant contact with the United States and European Union (EU) countries on this serious threat from Serbia and that the institutions are more determined than ever to protect the territorial integrity, sovereignty, constitutional and public order of the country in coordination with international partners.
On the other hand, in the statement made by the Kosovo police, it was reported that many weapons were found during the day during the searches on the escape route of the armed Serbian group that attacked the police in the north of the country on 24 September.
According to the police statement, the weapons found included a large number of rocket launchers, heavy weapons and military equipment such as bullet-proof vests.
In a telephone conversation yesterday with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan expressed concern about Serbian military activity on the Kosovo border.
Events in northern Kosovo on 24 September
Tensions in northern Kosovo, which had been ongoing for months, escalated again on the morning of 24 September when a policeman was killed when armed Serbs blocking a road in Banjska, a predominantly Serbian town, opened fire.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that a heavily armed group of about 30 people, which he described as a "professional terrorist / criminal organisation", attacked the Kosovo police and held Serbia responsible for the incident.
The armed group, which took refuge in and around the Banjska Monastery, was surrounded by Kosovo police and clashes continued throughout the day in the region.
Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Swedishla announced that at least 3 attackers were killed in the operation organised in Banjska and 6 people were detained, including 2 attackers and 4 people who supported the attack with radio connections.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had confirmed that the incident resulting in the death of a Kosovo policeman was carried out by Kosovo Serbs.
