Three Years Since Banjska: Security Expert Says Belgrade Is Investing in a Narrative That Protects Criminal Structures

Security expert Avni Islami has reacted to the statements of the director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petković, on the third anniversary of the Banjska events.

On Thursday, Petković said that Pristina has not answered several questions related to the deaths of three Serb members of the armed group, while claiming they were killed after being captured. He demanded, among other things, the publication of the autopsy results and raised questions about the involvement of Serb pathologists and EULEX in the investigations.

Islami described Petković’s statements as an attempt to change the narrative about the events of September 24, 2023.

“The statements of the director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petković, show a pure classic attempt to change the narrative of a failed terrorist attack through disinformation techniques and asymmetric propaganda,” Islami wrote.

According to him, the focus on the circumstances of the deaths of the three members of the armed group aims to shift attention away from responsibility for organizing and arming the group.

He stressed that Kosovo Police officer Afrim Bunjaku was killed in the armed clash in Banjska.

“Belgrade’s focus on the circumstances of the deaths of the three members of the armed group is nothing but an attempt to avoid the main responsibility: organizing, financing and arming a paramilitary formation that directly threatened the constitutional order and security of the Republic of Kosovo, killing in the line of duty Kosovo Police Sergeant, hero Afrim Bunjaku,” Islami said.

He described Petković’s claims about “executions of prisoners” and lack of transparency as part of what he calls “hybrid warfare”.

According to Islami, these claims aim to cast doubt on Kosovo’s institutions and the way the investigations were conducted.

“Petković’s claims about ‘executions of prisoners’ and lack of transparency are standard hybrid-warfare tactics, which aim to victimize the aggressor and undermine the credibility of Kosovo’s legitimate security and justice institutions, which led the operation in close cooperation with international partners,” he said.

Islami also commented on the questions raised by Petković about the role of EULEX and Serb pathologists, arguing that Kosovo’s institutions are responsible for conducting the investigations.

“Above all, the attempt to glorify and declare as ‘non-terrorists’ persons who entered the north with heavy military weapons shows that Belgrade is not seeking legal truth, but is investing in creating a dangerous political narrative that protects criminal structures and threatens lasting stability in the region,” Islami concluded, as Telegrafi reports.