Kosovo's parliament condemns deadly weekend clashes

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The Kosovo Assembly on Thursday condemned the weekend clashes in the northern part of the country which left one police officer dead.

The session began with a minute of silence for officer Afrim Bunjaku, who was killed by a Serbian armed group.

Parliament Speaker Glauk Konjufca said they condemned the attack on the police in the strongest terms.

During the session, an international investigation was requested into Serbia over the organization of terrorist activities and the continued existence of training camps for terrorist groups on its territory.

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the "Northern Brigade" and "Civil Defense," which they declared as terrorist organizations this year, should also be declared as terrorist organizations by friendly and allied countries.

Kurti also called for Serbia to be sanctioned and punished by the international community for the attack on the Kosovo police.

"If it is not punished, it will repeat the crime. The military weaponry and combat training that the Serbian professionals who attacked in Banjska on Sunday had are all from Serbia," he added.

Members of parliament from the Serbian List party did not take part in the voting.

The text of the resolution condemning the attack was unanimously approved.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic on Wednesday denied allegations of Belgrade's role in the deadly weekend clashes.

On Sunday, a clash broke out in the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo near the Serbian border when a group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks. A shootout erupted after the group opened fire on police, leaving one police officer dead and another injured.

A large number of security forces were dispatched to the region, and the Brnjak border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia was closed.

The area has been the scene of unrest since April, when local ethnic Serbs boycotted elections in northern Kosovo, followed by protests against the election of ethnic Albanian mayors.

Albanians are by far the largest ethnic group in Kosovo, followed by Serbs, with about half living in the country's north.

Amid the unrest over the elections, NATO peacekeepers were deployed, including a group of extra Turkish reinforcements.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and gained recognition from many countries, including Türkiye. But Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and claims that its territory is still part of Serbia.