EU strongly condemns attack on Kosovo Police in the north

The European Union's office in Kosovo has strongly condemned what it named “violent attacks on a Kosovo Police patrol in the Zubin Potok municipality” in the early hours of April 15th.

Kosovo's “Police are the main security provider and the use of force against officials is unacceptable”.

The European bloc's office in Pristina has called on all sides to avoid unnecessary speculation, which could fuel even more tensions.

Kosovo's Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, has indicated that on Friday, April 15th, Kosovo Police have been attacked in the country's north as they set off to take office at border points with Serbia.

“At around 7:40 today, an attack on the Kosovo Police has occurred, which has been going to receive a shift at the border points. This attack, already confirmed, with hand grenade and AK-47, as a terrorist act, has been done in order to intimidate police officials, but also all Kosovo citizens”, has declared Svecla at an extraordinary conference along with Kosovo Police General Director Samedin Mehmeti.

Minister Svechla has said that various <x0groups in the last three days have carried out four attacks in that area”.

According to Kosovo Police General Director Samedin Mehmeti, the proximity of the attacks suggests that, “we are dealing with an organised group aimed at attacking and obstructing the work of the Kosovo Police, with particular emphasis on fighting smuggling and various trades”. In the Kosovo Police vehicle that was attacked in the country's north on Friday, members of the Albanian and Serb KP were travelling.

It has not been disclosed at the conference whether there have been injuries in this attack on the Kosovo Police in the north, while Interior Minister Svecla has said the special prosecutor will be taken into account with these cases.

Four municipalities in northern Kosovo -- Northern Mitrovica, Leposaviqi, Zubin Potoku and Zvecani -- are inhabited by Serb majority.