Svechla: We're going to demand Radochiki's extradition, not just

On 24 September, armed groups in this village of northern Kosovo attacked Kosovo police forces, killing Sergeant Africa Bulnjak.

Five days after the attack, responsibility for organising the attack took over Milan Radoic, deputy head of the Serbian List, the largest Serb party in Kosovo.

In the interview given REL, Minister Svecla says Radojciq has not acted alone as he said, but supported by Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq.

He says the so-called investigations have shown as “over 80 terrorists” were involved in the Banjska attack.

Svechla also speaks of alleged Russian involvement, as well as the security risks that continue to run Kosovo.

“Vucciq, Serbian government involved”

Radio Free Europe: Mr. Minister Milan Radoicci accepted today [September 29th] that he organised the attack on Banjska. How did you comment on his action, and do you think he acted alone in preparing the attack, as he said?

Jedal Svechla: Absolutely not true. Milan Radoic has accepted a fact after his participation in this terrorist attack has been witnessed. But all the facts show that Milan Radoicci has not acted on his own, has not worked on his own. He has been consistently supported by [Serbia's president] Aleksandar Vuciq, from the Government of Serbia and from all instruments that that state has.

We know very well that he has been extremely close to Aleksandar Vucicin, who has been the minister of propaganda at the time of Milosevic's rule. He, although president of Serbia, continues to be a minister of propaganda.

Their tendency now is to minimize pressure on Serbia, wanting to locate the offender. The guilty one is known, he is Aleksandar Vuciq and his extremist ideas in relation to the entire region, not just Kosovo.

The amount and kinds of weapons that have been seized on September 24th in Banjsk is impossible to gather from an individual, even if he is extremely powerful, such as Milan Radojciq. There are military weapons, there are production-year weapons in 2021, 2022 shows that they are not remains of the 1998/99 war, or even earlier in the Balkans, but they are weapons directly derived from Serbia's military warehouses. We've witnessed this, presenting documents that we've seized, where the acceptance of this weapon is made.

And it's not an isolated case, since similar weapons, with series of rough productions, we've caught even earlier in Zvecan, June 23rd, then August 7th and September 5th either in Zvecan or North Mitrovica. It means, it has been a well-organised, detailedly elaborate plan that has failed them thanks to the determination, readiness for the sacrifice and professionalism of the Kosovo police. But the plan has been much bigger. Vuchy's involved. There is also the government of Serbia involved. Apparently Russia itself is involved in this scenario.

Serbia “pulls troops from border” with Kosovo

Radio Free Europe: What will Kosovo's next steps be after Radojic's release today?

Jedal Svechla: We will continue to investigate this attack in detail, identify all terrorists who have participated in this attack, investigate the entire hierarchy of two organisations that we have already declared terrorist Seerna Bridgegada and Civilna Zashtita [North Brigade and Civil Protection] but also document direct links with Serbia's Government.

At the same time, we will surely ask Serbia through our partners that all the wounded who have managed to leave Kosovo, as well as those who have escaped without injuries, to surrender to Kosovo's justice, given that only thus, in reality, can we bring a normalisation of the situation to Kosovo.

Likewise, we will demand that all of Serbia's incidents or aggression be stopped forever, including the withdrawal of the military from the vicinity of our border.

We think there are risks. We are vigilant. We are preparing to face and respond successfully to any challenge, as we already have extremely bad experiences, both with Serbia and with its president, Aleksandar Vucinq.

Radio Free Europe: Will you seek Radojici's extradition and the international community's involvement in this, taking into account that Kosovo and Serbia do not have extradition agreements?

Jedal Svechla: Yeah, sure. The Radoicchi and not only, of all who have been involved in planning and realising this terrorist action.

Radio Free Europe: Based on the information you can share with us, how many people are involved in your investigation?

Number of attackers, “over 80”

Jedal Svechla: At first it was thought to be somewhere between 30 and 40 terrorists. We can already say that the number is greater, which testifies to the even greater success of the Kosovo police.

Kosovo police have been in even smaller numbers, even with less weapons than this terrorist group, but have succeeded in losing the life of Sergeant Africa Bunnjak, after the end of this ambush, conducting a successful battle all day long, for which we are receiving praise from all our allies and defeating this terrorist group. But the number is huge. Now we can say it's over 80.

Radio Free Europe: Have you had any contact with Serbia's Police or with the Security Information Agency there after the attack on Banjska?

Jedal Svechla: No, we didn't have any contact. We think they're directly involved. One of those killed is former bodyguards of Aleksandar Vulin, who is head of the Intelligence Agency in Serbia, who is at the same time on the blacklist of the United States and Great Britain. It means, we're in a paradoxic situation, when you're actually dealing with images, which aren't just criminals, they're also sanctioned by the democratic world.

Radio Free Europe: Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vuciq, has said he will investigate the murder of Kosovo police officer, Africa Buxaku. What is your comment?

Jedal Svechla: But how would he investigate the murder when he proclaimed three days of mourning over the death of terrorists during their attack on a sovereign state? It means this terrorist group killed the police on duty in ambush. It wasn't Africa Bulnjak... it wasn't part of the battle, it was killed in ambush, at the first moment of our arrival of our police patrol to investigate the barricade these terrorists had decided... and he's politically protecting them, declared a day of mourning.

It is not arresting terrorists who have returned to Serbia. Therefore, I do not trust this cynical approach of the president of Serbia when he says he will investigate the death of the police. He's really trying to ease the pressure he can come along or come from the democratic world.

Radio Free Europe: You mentioned earlier that you were investigating possible Russian involvement. What evidence have you collected so far?

Jedal Svechla: Yeah, we in one of the cars... there's 24 field cars that got caught in this village full of ammunition and materials. In one of these cars we have found Russian materials, there are also two four-way engines for difficult terrain, Russia's production, which has been donated to Serbia's military. There are also intelligence information on the involvement of elements that are directly linked to Russia.

Radio Free Europe: Do you have the identity of a Russian involved, allegedly involved?

Jelal Svechla: We, in turn, are working on identifying all these terrorists. It is a fact that some of them have not communicated with other members of the group, and at no time have they removed masks from their heads. That makes us a lot of suspects in these individuals. But I believe that very soon, our specialised Kosovo police units, but also the Kosovo intelligence agency, in co-operation with our allies, will identify them as well.

Radio Free Europe: Suppose they are mercenaries or investigations are under way...

I, to be honest, don't believe much in mercenaries, in terms of payments. This is the political project of Serbia and Russia, and they exploit their trusted structures. It means, we're witnessing that there's a Russian humanitarian center in Nis, which is known internationally to be an intelligence center, through which they're listening to the entire region and in which there are various exercises for intelligence or field action, and we believe that even this center is involved in this attack.

Any aggressive action against Kosovo “will get the right response”

Radio Free Europe: You mentioned the danger of new escalations earlier. What are you doing to lower such threats?

Jedal Svechla: Yes, no doubt signs of gathering even military forces are observed, but also of various groups around the Kosovo border. We are constantly co-operating and co-ordinating with [the EU's law-rule mission in Kosovo] EULEX and [NATO Commission in Kosovo] KFOR, as the second and third security responsible for Kosovo.

Also, we are consolidating as the Kosovo police so that any aggressive actions towards the Republic of Kosovo, of any point, will get the right answer.

Radio Free Europe: How did NATO's decision to increase the presence of KFOR forces in Kosovo comment?

Jedal Svechla: This is welcome. We have continued contact with leaders, NATO representatives. We, too, have requested joint patrols of the border line between Kosovo and Serbia. You know very well we have a very long line of the border that separates these two countries. And the terrain is very difficult, and we also have special equipment to observe any movement around the border. And that's good news.

Radio Free Europe: What would be a message for your citizens in northern Kosovo?

Jedal Svechla: Citizens in northern Kosovo, consistently, receive positive messages from the Government of the Republic of Kosovo. It means, these citizens are equal citizens in their country of the Republic of Kosovo. Institutions of the Republic of Kosovo are there to serve and protect them. This was confirmed even on September 24th, when we had a very intense battle with terrorists, but, at any moment, no citizen of our civilian has either been endangered by us or damaged.

Furthermore, we have no complaints from these citizens to the conduct of our police officials. Let me mention another fact: U n The NPD has made an assessment of citizens' credibility towards the Kosovo police in that area, in fact, made more than one point at the time when we had police of former parallel structures integrated into the Kosovo police, which means before their resignation, before the resignation of 547 police officers...

Faithfulness in the Kosovo police in that area has been 15 per cent, unlike the rest of Kosovo. Now there has been a measure done, as has the UNDP, and credibility has increased by 33.8 percent.

It means, it is more than double the credibility of citizens in those northern municipalities towards the Kosovo police. I am convinced that this credibility will grow because even co-operation with citizens there is growing steadily.