“Banjska Mystery” Two Years On: Analyst Says Radoičić Could Not Act Alone, Sees US Satisfaction With Vučić

Two years after the deadly attack in Banjska, the case remains an unresolved mystery with serious implications for Serbia’s political system, political analyst Mladen Mrdalj has told KoSSev.

Washington’s silence on the anniversary, he argues, signals that the United States is “essentially satisfied” with Belgrade’s current policies.

In his commentary, Mrdalj draws attention to the timing of President Aleksandar Vučić’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in New York — held on the very day of the second anniversary of Banjska — which he sees as another sign of continued rapprochement between Washington and Belgrade.

“The Vučić–Rubio meeting almost on the anniversary of Banjska is just one more proof that the US, even under Trump, continues its policy of drawing closer to Serbia, regardless of the unresolved circumstances of the case. We can conclude something similar about the Bytyqi brothers’ case, which gradually fell into oblivion as Vučić got closer to the US,” Mrdalj said.

A System Unable to Process Security Scandals

For Mrdalj, the deeper issue is not just the unresolved circumstances of Banjska but Serbia’s institutional inability to handle security scandals of this scale:

“Banjska remains an unsolved mystery. What is realistic is that Milan Radoičić could not have led the group without the knowledge of Serbia’s security system, which also means Vučić. Beyond the political fiasco and international embarrassment, Banjska showed once again that Serbia lacks a parliament and judiciary capable of dealing with security sector scandals. That conclusion is the worst part of the whole Banjska story,” he said.

Mrdalj highlights three main theories circulating about what actually happened in Banjska on 24 September 2023:

• A failed weapons smuggling operation exposed and used by Albin Kurti to reverse the narrative of a constructive Serbia versus a destructive Kosovo;

• A group deliberately sent into a trap under foreign pressure to weaken Serbia’s position;

• Or Vučić himself setting a trap for Radoičić after a falling-out.

“None of these theories seems realistic, but there are no more logical explanations either,” he concluded.

Washington’s Silence Seen as Political Signal

The Vučić–Rubio meeting, which included discussions on the upcoming US–Serbia Strategic Dialogue and American participation in EXPO 2027, serves, according to Mrdalj, as a political signal that Banjska and other unresolved cases no longer constitute obstacles in US–Serbia relations.

“Insisting on clarifying both cases could be a heavy-pressure instrument against Vučić, so their neglect shows that Washington is essentially satisfied with Serbia’s policy,” Mrdalj said.

The Banjska Attack

The events in the village of Banjska on 24 September 2023 began with an ambush attack on a Kosovo Police patrol, killing Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. A protracted armed confrontation followed between a group of armed Serbs and Kosovo Police special units, leaving three attackers dead while others escaped.

Milan Radoičić, then vice president of Srpska Lista, later admitted organizing the operation but has yet to be prosecuted. While indictments have been filed against him in Pristina, along with a request for extradition, Belgrade says it is conducting its own closed investigation.

Marking the anniversary, the German, French and British embassies in Pristina reiterated calls for accountability and highlighted the importance of the rule of law and remembering the slain police officer. The US Embassy has so far remained silent.

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