The decision of the Kosovo government to declare organizations „Civil Protection“ and „Northern Brigade“ as terrorist organizations was not made in coordination with the United States and other international partners, the State Department said in a statement for the Voice of America. Kosovo Interior Minister, however, presented differing claims yesterday when he underlined that they coordinated this step with international partners.
„It should have been coordinated with the closest international partners, including those whose primary responsibility is to ensure the stability of Kosovo. We once again call on Kosovo to refrain from making unilateral moves at a time when we are working with all parties to resolve the current crisis,“ the State Department wrote in response to the inquiry of the Albanian branch of the Voice of America.
They also indicated that the United States condemns the “unacceptable violence” against the troops of the NATO International Peacekeeping Mission in Kosovo (KFOR).
„Those responsible for the attacks should be prosecuted – following the prescribed procedures and with full transparency,“ they specified.
The Kosovo government declared the “Civil Protection“ and the “Northern Brigade“ as “terrorist organizations“ yesterday, which comes into force today. The Kosovo Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, alleged that these organizations represent a “serious and direct threat to the security and constitutional order of Kosovo“.
“Based on the assessments of the security institutions in the Republic of Kosovo, the illegal formations ‘Civil Protection’ and its faction ‘Northern Brigade’ represent a serious and direct threat to the security and constitutional order of Kosovo,“ Kurti stated.
Kosovo Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said that it immediately prohibits the activities of the aforementioned groups. He confirmed that they are wotking on identifying their members. He also said that the decision does not apply to members of organizations that were previously given “amnesty“.
Contrary to today’s claims coming from the US, Svecla announed yesterday that this decision was made in coordination with international partners.
“We are continuously coordinating with all our allies, sometimes we agree and sometimes we disagree. Without a doubt, we coordinated when it comes to this step,“ he stated, adding that over time he will share the details of this process with strategic partners.
Last week, Svecla announced a proposal for the Kosovo government to declare „Civil Protection“ and “Northern Brigade“ as terrorist organizations. He said this on Saturday at the special forces base of the Kosovo Police, a day after these units carried out an action in Zvean, in which a vehicle containing a large amount of weapons, ammunition and other equipment was found.
Numerous Pristina officials claimed that the weapons and equipment in question were planned to be used in a terrorist attack that was allegedly prevented by the Kosovo security institutions.
On the other hand, official Belgrade accused Pristina of planting weapons and ammunition to accuse the Serbs and continue with the arrests.
Back in March, however, the Kosovo government adopted the Draft Strategy for the Prevention and Fight against Terrorism for the next five years (2023 – 2028). This document mentions „terrorism with national motives“ as the main threat to the security of Kosovo. It was also emphasized that the Kosovo government has identified groups, organizations and movements that „promote separatism“, which are mainly directed towards the north of Kosovo with the Serbian majority population.
“Civil Protection“ in the north of Kosovo was abolished, and its members were integrated into several Kosovo ministries as per the agreement made between Belgrade and Pristina on Civil Protection in March 2015.
The Northern Brigade caught the public attention last summer when graffiti appeared on the streets of North Mitrovica with inscriptions – „We are here, don’t worry – Northern Brigade“, after which accounts on social networks with the same name were created.
The Serbian president also spoke about the „Northern Brigade“ immediately after the graffiti appeared, stating that he was „worried about the Serbs’ desire to resist Albanian violence“.
Although the graffiti said „Northern Brigade“ (Severna Brigada), Vucic said that it was „Brigade North“ (Brigada Sever), because „Northern Brigade“ is a Red Star fan group, while correcting the journalist at the press conference.
With the exception of the graffiti and comments on social networks, those who presented themselves under this name have never come forward publicly, nor has there been any confirmed information available to the public about whether there is an organization under this name and what it does.
In the meantime, both Germany and Great Britain confirmed for media in Pristina that neither the Kosovo government nor Prime Minister Kurti consulted or coordinated with these countries regarding yesterday’s decision.
While the spokesperson of the UK embassy only briefly confirmed that they were not consulted, the German Embassy stated that they were not informed about the Kosovo government’s intention, noting that due to the current crisis in the north, close coordination with international partners would be beneficial.
„It is important for any such decision to respect the relevant laws and the principle of proportionality. We repeat the call to the Government of Kosovo to refrain from any unilateral action that could further aggravate the situation in the northern municipalities,“ the German Embassy in Pristina said.
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Kosovo government declared „Civil Protection“ and „Northern Brigade“ as terrorist organizations
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