KFOR examines the rocket launchers found by the Kosovo Police in Banjska

2024-03-07 20:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR, announced on Thursday that one of its teams has examined the rocket launchers found the day before by the Kosovo Police near the Banjska Monastery in the northern Kosovo town of Zveçan.

KFOR said in a press release that the five rocket launchers (Zola) found yesterday in Banjska - which the Kosovo Police suspect are related to the September 24 attack in this village - will be sent to forensic laboratories for additional examinations.

The explosive device disposal team from the Eastern Regional Command of the NATO mission cooperated closely with the Kosovo Police, the announcement states.

"The battalion of the Eastern Regional Command is conducting further security of the area, to see if it can find other secret weapon depots in the vicinity," said KFOR.

The deputy director of the Kosovo Police for the northern region, Veton Elshani, said on Wednesday for Radio Free Europe that "the military vehicles are suspected to belong to the events of September last year".

On September 24, 2023, a group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police in Banjska in Zveçan, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku.

Then the attackers took refuge in the monastery of this village, from where the clashes with the police continued. Three attackers were killed during the clashes.

After the attack, a large amount of weaponry was confiscated from Banjska Monastery and surrounding facilities, including residential houses, including 29 loaded and 7 used rocket launchers, armored vehicles, more than 20 mountain vehicles and two mountain terrain motorcycles. NATO has strengthened its KFOR mission in Kosovo after the February 24 attack, where it now has 4,500 members.

KFOR is the third security responder in Kosovo, after the Kosovo Police, which is the first, and after the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, with which it says it cooperates closely.

The responsibility for the attack in Banjska was taken by Millan Radoicic, the former vice-president of Lista Serbe - the main party of Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys the support of official Belgrade.

Kosovo blamed Serbia for the attack, which denied any involvement, but has since released Radoicic on the condition that he not travel to Kosovo.

On February 16, the Minister of the Interior of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, said that all the suspects for carrying out the attack in Banjska have been entered into the international INTERPOL system for arrest warrants./ Rel