a police officer killed near the border with Serbia, armed men holed up in a monastery

A chaotic situation in northern Kosovo. A police officer was killed while patrolling near the border with Serbia on Sunday September 24. He was heading near a road reported as blocked when his unit “was attacked from different positions with heavy weapons, notably with grenades”, according to police. One of his colleagues was injured.

Armed men were also holed up in a monastery on Sunday. Around thirty armed men are “surrounded by our police forces”declared the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, at midday, inviting them to “surrender”. During his press conference, the Prime Minister claimed that the armed men were not civilians, “but professionals, police or military, who are in and around a monastery.”

Inside the monastery would be “a group of pilgrims from Novi Sad (in Serbia) with an abbot. For their safety, they locked themselves inside after masked men “stormed the monastery in an armored vehicle, and forced the door”, according to a press release from the diocese. In a statement mid-afternoon, police suggested that “according to the latest information, one of the attackers was killed”without giving further details.

Kosovo accuses “officials from Belgrade”, Serbia denounces “lies”

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti immediately slammed an attack “criminal and terrorist”and accused “Belgrade officials (Serbia)“ to offer logistical and financial support “organized crime”. “It’s an attack on Kosovo”added the president, Vjosa Osmani.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that he would speak at 8 p.m. “debunk all the lies of Albin Kurti, who only creates chaos and hell” in Kosovo.