Serbs in Kosovo declare mourning for those killed in shootout

26/9/2023 19:09

        The main political party representing Serbs in northern Kosovo declared three days of mourning on Tuesday for people killed in a gunbattle with Kosovo police, after the worst violence for years in the contested area.
        
        Kosovo authorities say around 30 heavily armed Serbs stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Police recaptured the monastery late on Sunday, after three attackers and one police officer were killed.
        
        No group has come forward to claim responsibility for the attack or explain the motives of the gunmen. Kosovo has accused Serbia of backing the armed militants; Serbia says Kosovo is to blame for mistreating residents in the Serb-majority area.