Islami: Messages from Kosovo officials about a possible attack from Serbia are intended for the international community

Professor of Security Studies Avni Islami believes that the statements by Kosovo officials about a possible attack from Serbia are political and aimed at the international community, and that security institutions in Kosovo operate according to the law.

Islami emphasized that Kosovo officials are sending messages about a possible attack from Serbia as a "precaution" to avoid a repeat of the situation in Banjska.

"The statements from the political leadership of the Republic of Kosovo are political statements aimed at the international community. We saw the death of a police officer involved in the Banjska action last year. Therefore, such statements are actually messages to the international community to prevent a similar incident and avoid further loss of life," he said.

He believes that an incident like the one in Banjska will not be repeated due to the cooperation between the Kosovo Police, EULEX, and KFOR.

"I think that such an incident, as proclaimed by the state leadership of Kosovo, will not be repeated because Kosovo's security forces, particularly the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, in cooperation with EULEX and KFOR, continuously monitor northern Kosovo as well as Kosovo as a whole. They will not allow such a surprise, and I do not expect another Banjska. I believe there will be no escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo," said Islami.

Regarding the State Department's statement that northern Kosovo poses a risk of escalation, Islami said there is no need for panic because "Kosovo's security institutions are now operating according to the laws in force in the north as well."

"I believe there is no need for panic in northern Kosovo. It is known that organized crime operated in northern Kosovo. We have statistics on the destruction of drug laboratories, as well as on arms trafficking and human trafficking – in simple terms, northern Kosovo was a haven for organized crime and corruption. Therefore, citizens in northern Kosovo, the ordinary citizen regardless of nationality, have complete security because Kosovo's security institutions operate according to the law, and all citizens are equal before the law. The Kosovo Police are in the service of the citizens regardless of whether they belong to Serbs, Bosniaks, or Albanians by nationality," concluded Islami.