Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti calls for international action after deadly clashes.
Pristina called for international sanctions against Serbia following deadly clashes in northern Kosovo. “Serbia should be sanctioned for this,” Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Thursday. Otherwise, Serbia will “do it again”.
Kurti also said that the “military arsenal” of the attacking “Serbian professionals” consisted of “weapons from Serbia.” Kurti was referring to weapons that Kosovar authorities reportedly confiscated during an operation against the armed men. According to a list published by Kurti, the confiscated objects have a total value of several million euros. Belgrade has repeatedly rejected Pristina’s accusations.
Police officer killed in attack
A police officer was killed in the attack on a Kosovo police patrol on Sunday. Later, around 30 armed men barricaded themselves in a monastery. At least three of them were killed in an exchange of fire with police. It is the worst incident in the region in years.
Serbia declared the three dead men “martyrs” and declared Wednesday a day of mourning. The EU and the US condemned the incident and called on Serbia and Kosovo to take measures to contain the violence and work towards de-escalation.
The vast majority of Kosovo’s 1.8 million residents are ethnic Albanian. There are also 120,000 Serbs who live mainly in the north of the country. In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, but Belgrade does not recognize it. (APA)