Kosovo PM Demands Serbia Hand Over Gunmen Behind 2023 Attack

Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Wednesday called on the international community not to treat Serbia as a “normal state” until it hands over those accused of staging a deadly armed incursion in 2023.

Kurti made the statement during a visit to the grave of Afrim Bunjaku, a Kosovo police officer killed in Banjska when heavily armed Serb gunmen clashed with security forces. The attack left three Serb gunmen dead and triggered renewed tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.

Kurti described the incident as an “aggressive and terrorist attack” funded and supported by Serbian officials, including President Aleksandar Vucic. Serbia has denied involvement, insisting the attackers acted independently.

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Prosecutors in Kosovo have charged 45 people in connection with the Banjska assault, accusing them of trying to detach Serb-majority municipalities in the north and join them to Serbia. Only three defendants have been arrested and are on trial. They pleaded not guilty to charges of terrorism, violating the constitutional order, funding terrorism, and money laundering. If convicted, they face life imprisonment.

Among those charged in absentia is Milan Radoicic, a businessman and politician linked to Serbia’s ruling party. Radoicic admitted taking part in the armed group but denied criminal conspiracy. He was briefly detained in Serbia and later released. He remains under US and UK sanctions for alleged organized crime activity.

Serbia maintains that Radoicic and his group acted alone, though independent media reports suggest his men were also used to intimidate anti-government protesters in Belgrade. On Tuesday night, nationalist groups in the Serbian capital held vigils for the three slain gunmen, calling them “heroes.” Similar gatherings were reported in other towns.

International pressure has mounted on Serbia to act. The British and German embassies in Belgrade urged authorities to prosecute those responsible without delay, echoing earlier demands from the US and EU.

The Banjska clash added strain to already fragile EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 following a NATO intervention that ended a brutal conflict. While more than 100 countries recognize Kosovo, Serbia, Russia, and China do not.

For now, relations between Pristina and Belgrade remain tense, with Serbia facing widespread anti-government protests and Kosovo grappling with political deadlock in parliament.

Closing Update: With both local trials ongoing and international calls for accountability growing louder, the Banjska attack continues to overshadow fragile Serbia-Kosovo relations.