Kosovo Police attacked in the north

English

Gazeta Express

15/04/2022 11:53

The Kosovo Police have been attacked Friday morning in northern part of the country inhabited mainly by Serbs, authorities confirmed. Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla said that two police patrols came under Kalashnikov fire and a hand grenade was thrown while the officers were carrying out regular shifts at the border with Serbia. Authorities say this was was the fourth attack on the police over the last three days, Gazeta Express reports.

Minister Svecla made the comments during an urgent press conference in Pristina jointly with the General Director of the Kosovo Police Samedin Mehmeti. Svecla presented what he referred as evidence that the police came under AK47 fire, and a hand grenade was thrown at the two patrols. He referred the attack as terrorist act.  

“Over the last three days various groups have attacked four times the police in that area. The first attack or attempted attack was placing of spiky-steel obstacles at the national road, at approximately same time with today’s attack, aimed at preventing the Kosovo Police from carrying out their duties,” he said. “On the second attack the police patrol was pelted with stones. The third attack happened on Thursday evening, when the Police cam under fire and today two police patrols transporting officers were directly hit,” Svecla stated.

General Director of the Kosovo Police, Samedin Mehmeti, said that it is suspected that in one of the attacks against the police the bullets came from the territory of Serbia. “In the third attack which happened on Thursday evening at the place called Pragove, were heard four to five short bursts, and reportedly the shots came from the territory of Serbia. No injuries have been reported, but only material damages. The shots happened in a distance about 200-300 meters from  the police patrol, at the village Bube, when we recently have closed an illegal route used for smuggling,” Mehmeti said. He said that since 13 April they have registered four “organized and synchronized” attacks against the Kosovo Police in that area. He said that the organized attacks are aimed at obstructing the police work and preventing them to fight smuggling activities. /GazetaExpress/