Kosovo, a country in Europe, has accused Serbia, its neighbouring country, of trying to take control of its northern region. The government of Kosovo says that the attackers had been planning this for a long time at military bases.
The Accusation
The Interior Minister of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, stated that the goal of this terrorist organization was to annex the north of Kosovo. He also claimed that Serbian institutions, including President Aleksandar Vucic, Defense Minister Milos Vucevic, and Army Chief of Staff Milan Mojsilovic, were directly involved in this attempt.
The September 24 Attack
On September 24, a clash occurred in a village called Banjska in northern Kosovo. A group of armed Serbs blocked a bridge with two trucks and opened fire on the police. One police officer was killed, and another was injured. As a result, a large number of security forces were sent to the region, and a border crossing between Kosovo and Serbia was closed.
Unrest in the Region
The area has been experiencing unrest since April. Local ethnic Serbs boycotted elections in northern Kosovo, followed by protests against the election of ethnic Albanian mayors. Albanians are the largest ethnic group in Kosovo, followed by Serbs. Many Serbs live in the northern part of the country.
International Response
NATO peacekeepers were deployed to Kosovo to help maintain peace during the election unrest. Recently, there has been a large Serbian military presence along the border with Kosovo, which has raised concerns. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed deep concern about the tensions in northern Kosovo.
Denial from Serbia
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic denied that Serbia was building up its military along the border with Kosovo. He called the accusations against Serbia a "campaign of lies" and stated that they were bothered by Serbia having advanced weapons.
The Conflict
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and gained recognition from many countries, including Turkey. However, Serbia has never accepted Kosovo's independence and still claims that the territory belongs to Serbia.