Kurti: Police work thwarted the comfort of criminal gangs in the north

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has said police officials have become the target of “successive attacks” in the north of the country, the area he said previously was the “comfort zone for the Belgrade-led criminal locks”.

“Precisely due to this increased police activity even in that area there have been successive attacks on our officials, of whom 25 officials have been easily injured, one is injured and one is currently in medical treatment after the injury he had received in the action of the notorious criminal LIune”, Kurti said during the graduation ceremony of the 58th generation of Kosovo Police.

Milun Milenkovic '%lune was arrested 13 June in northern Mitrovica in a Kosovo Police Special Forces action.

He is suspected of involvement in the attack on the electoral Commission's targets in northern Mitrovica, as well as participation in clashes between protesters and members of the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, May 29th in Zvecan.

Kurt did not clarify when the 27 police officers mentioned by him had been hurt during the period, but earlier in his talk he mentioned the last two years during his rule.

Even Minister of Internal Affairs Xhelal Svecla said the attacks on Kosovo police officers have intensified and said they are facing <x0 criminal gangs” in the country's north.

The recent tensions in northern Kosovo, which rose in late May due to the arrival of Albanian mayors at the helm of municipalities, continue further.

On July 10th, the EU and Kosovo confirmed that they have reached an agreement on extending the situation, and one day later concrete steps were introduced: attracting 25 per cent of police from and around municipal buildings in the north, organising extraordinary local elections after summer, and returning to dialogue for normalisation of relations.

In the graduation ceremony of the 58th generation of Kosovo Police, they graduated 419 new screws, including Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani.

“Today, all together, to express once again our unique thanks and pride with our policemen and policemen serving in our country's north to protect every inch of the Republic of Kosovo”, Osmani said.

It called for Kosovo's membership in the International Police Agency (Interpol) and the European Police Agency (Europol).

Osman expressed happiness that among the new cadets, there are also members of the non - majority communities of 85, and girls and women, 47 in all. / REL