One sentence summary – Gunmen stormed a village in Kosovo, killing a police officer and subsequently barricading themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery, leading to a siege that resulted in the deaths of three attackers and an additional police officer, with tensions escalating further as a Kosovo police patrol was attacked near the border with Serbia.
At a glance
- A police officer was killed when gunmen stormed a village in Kosovo.
- The attackers barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery, initiating a siege.
- Monks and pilgrims were confined within the monastery’s temple during the siege.
- The monastery was retaken by police, resulting in the deaths of three attackers and an additional police officer.
- Kosovar police units were deployed to secure and search the village after the siege.
The details
A police officer was killed when gunmen stormed a village in Kosovo.
The attackers subsequently barricided themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery, initiating a siege.
During the course of the siege, monks and pilgrims were confined within the monastery’s temple.
The monastery was eventually retaken by police, resulting in the deaths of three attackers and an additional police officer.
In the aftermath of the siege, Kosovar police units were deployed to secure and search the village.
Ethnic Albanians constitute the majority of the population in Kosovo, while Serbs are the majority in the north.
In May, clashes between Albanians and Serbs led to injuries among protesters and Nato peacekeepers.
The Serbs do not accept Kosovo’s declaration of independence and still consider Belgrade as their capital.
The exact perpetrators of the violence are unclear, but Kosovo’s prime minister and interior minister have attributed the incident to “Serbia-sponsored criminals”.
In a related incident, a Kosovo police patrol was attacked near the border with Serbia, further escalating tensions.
The head of the UN mission in Kosovo and the EU foreign policy chief have condemned the violent actions.
The Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo remains on standby, prepared to respond if necessary.
EU-mediated talks between Kosovo and Serbia ended in a stalemate just a week prior to these incidents.
Tensions were already heightened in May when Pristina installed ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority districts.
The 1998-1999 Kosovo war resulted in over 13,000 deaths and concluded with Nato airstrikes, forcing Yugoslav forces to withdraw.
Serbia, China, and Russia refuse to recognize Kosovo’s independence, preventing it from having a seat in the United Nations.
These incidents reflect the ongoing complexities and challenges in the region.
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| telegraph.co.uk |
|---|
| – Gunmen stormed a village in Kosovo, resulting in the death of a police officer – |
| The gunmen barricaded themselves in a Serbian Orthodox monastery, leading to a siege – |
| The monastery was retaken by police, resulting in the deaths of three attackers and one police officer – Monks and pilgrims were locked in the monastery’s temple during the siege – Kosovar police units moved in to secure and search the village after the siege – Ethnic Albanians make up the majority of the population in Kosovo, but Serbs are the majority in the north – Clashes between Albanians and Serbs in May injured protesters and Nato peacekeepers – |
| The Serbs do not accept Kosovo’s declaration of independence and still consider Belgrade as their capital – The exact perpetrators of the violence are unclear, but Kosovo’s prime minister and interior minister blamed “Serbia-sponsored criminals” – A Kosovo police patrol was attacked near the border with Serbia – The head of the UN mission in Kosovo and the EU foreign policy chief condemned the violence – The Nato-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo is prepared to respond if necessary – EU-mediated talks between Kosovo and Serbia ended in stalemate a week ago – Tensions escalated when Pristina installed ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority districts in May – The 1998-1999 Kosovo war resulted in over 13,000 deaths and ended with Nato airstrikes forcing Yugoslav forces to withdraw – Serbia, China, and Russia refuse to recognize Kosovo’s independence, preventing it from having a seat in the United Nations. |
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