Banjska attack by Serb militants on Kosovo Police

In the early hours of 24 September 2023, an armed group of roughly 30 ethnic Serb militants ambushed Kosovo Police near the village of Banjska in northern Kosovo. Officers had responded to trucks without licence plates blocking a bridge when they came under fire from multiple directions with grenades and other weapons. One Kosovo police officer, Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, was killed and another wounded. The attackers then withdrew into the 14th-century Banjska Monastery, barricaded themselves inside and exchanged fire with Kosovar security forces for hours before special police retook the monastery that evening, ending the standoff.

At least three of the attackers were killed and several were captured. Kosovo Police said they seized a large arsenal, including rifles, machine guns, mortars, explosives, drones and armoured vehicles. Prime Minister Albin Kurti described the assault as terrorism and alleged it had logistical and political support from officials in Belgrade; Serbia denied any state involvement. Milan Radoičić, a Kosovo Serb politician and then vice-president of the Srpska Lista party, admitted through his lawyer that he had organised the armed group, while stating Serbian authorities had no knowledge of it. He was later among dozens indicted by Kosovo prosecutors over the attack.

This was a coordinated, lethal armed assault that killed a serving police officer and marked one of the most serious security incidents in Kosovo since 2008. The scale of the seized weaponry and the fortified monastery standoff indicate significant planning. Attribution is contested: Radoičić has admitted organising the group, while Kosovo and some Western officials allege Serbian state backing, which Serbia denies. The incident sharply escalated Kosovo-Serbia tensions and drew international calls for accountability. It reflects internal Balkan ethnic and territorial conflict rather than external hybrid-warfare actors.