The EU demands investigations after the attack in the north of Kosovo

2024-12-01 08:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The EU demands investigations after the attack in the north of Kosovo

The building of the EU External Service - where Josep Borrell had its headquarters and from December 1 Kaja Kallas

The EU described the explosion in the Ibër-Lepenci canal in the north of Kosovo as a "terrorist" attack and an act of "sabotage" that endangered the supply of water and electricity for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Kosovo.

The EU is closely following the latest developments in Kosovo. The explosion in the Ibër-Lepenci canal, which threatens the supply of water and electricity for hundreds of thousands of citizens of Kosovo, has been described by the European Union as a "terrorist" attack as well as an act of "sabotage" and demands an investigation of the incident and the arrest of the perpetrators. assault before justice.

The outgoing head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell (as of December 1, Kaja Kallas takes over) in a press release on Saturday (30.10.), said that "the EU strongly condemns the terrorist attack carried out on Friday in the waterway in Ibër-Lepenc in Zubin Potok in the north of Kosovo. It is a despicable act of sabotage in the critical civil infrastructure of Kosovo, which provides drinking water for a significant part of population of Kosovo and is a vital component of the energy system of Kosovo".

Borrell said that he conveyed the messages of solidarity and support directly to Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Saturday afternoon. Borrell also called on all parties to fully cooperate with the Kosovo authorities. Arrests in connection with the explosions in the north of Kosovo

In a large-scale operation that took place in the north of Kosovo throughout the day on Saturday, the police arrested eight suspects in connection with the explosion in the water channel in Ibër Lepenc, confiscating also large quantities of weapons and other military equipment. .

The authorities announced that the police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) have conducted operations in ten locations in the north of the country. The general director of the Kosovo Police, Gazmend Hoxha, said that several people have already been identified as potential suspects for inciting acts of violence, organizing or executing the latest attack and others in the north of the country.

It is suspected that 15 to 20 kg of explosives were used

"For the realization of this terrorist attack, based on the investigation at the scene, it is suspected that a significant amount of explosives from 15 to 20 kilograms was used, which was placed in a black bag and was activated with a mechanical detonator through the fuse. "slow burners", said Hoxha. According to him, the operation and control resulted in the confiscation of an arsenal of weapons and ammunition, explosives, various equipment, including hundreds of emblems. uniform and military equipment". He said that the police "have reason to believe that in one way or another, the arrested persons were connected to the case of last night's terrorist attack and to many other illegal activities and most of them are part of the Civil Defense". Last year, the government in Pristina declared this organization operating in the north of Kosovo a terrorist organization.

"During the police operation, over 200 military uniforms, six hand rocket launchers, three hand grenades, two AK47 rifles, a revolver, ammunition of various calibers, weapon parts, fuses for initiating explosives, military helmets, masks were seized. , knives, money in currencies such as euros and dinars and other equipment", said police director Gazmend Hoxha.

The worst attack on Kosovo's infrastructure since the war

The Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, said in an extraordinary press conference that the explosion against the Ibër-Lepenci channel, which is considered to be of particular importance for Kosovo's thermal power plants, drinking water and heating of the capital, was the attack. more severe to the country's critical infrastructure since the war in Kosovo in 1998-1999.

"This is an organized and well-planned attack by groups or organizations that are professionals in carrying out such terrorist attacks and which cause great damage to critical infrastructure. So their aim was to maximize the damage to the detriment of the state of Kosovo" , said Minister Sveçla.

Regarding the discovered weaponry, Sveçla said, "the vast majority of confiscated weaponry and other equipment is of Serbian production and a large part of it is exclusively military equipment that cannot be easily found on the black market".

Kosovo accuses Serbia, Serbia denies involvement

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, yesterday held Serbia responsible for the attack, which he described as "criminal and terrorist" and which aims to "damage perhaps the most important and vital infrastructure of the country of Kosovo".

But the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, categorically denied Serbia's involvement in the attack in the north, saying that "Belgrade has nothing to do with what happened in the north of Kosovo, where a water channel of Ibër-Lepenci was damaged. Pristina also knows this," Vuqiq said, RTS reports.

"Why should I justify myself, run around the world media, apologize for something I didn't do when they will anyway interpret it as they want", said Vucic. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Marko Djuric, rejecting the claims of Prime Minister Kurti, said that while "Kurti's ethno-nationalist regime has been quick to point the finger at Belgrade without evidence, we believe that such premature accusations are a deliberate diversion, which could potentially indicate the involvement of Albin Kurti's regime" in this attack. Djuriq said that "Serbia condemns in the harshest terms the latest attack on the Ibër-Lepenci canal. This act of sabotage is deeply disturbing and endangers the lives and well-being of many people in the region".

The Kosovo Security Council has already approved additional measures to strengthen security around critical facilities and services such as bridges, substations, antennas, lakes, canals, etc. The Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Security Force will be activated on the ground for this purpose./ DW