site.btaSecurity Situation in North Kosovo "Has Improved Visibly"

Kosovo's Internal Affairs Minister Xhelal Svecla finds that the security situation in North Kosovo has improved visibly, EkonomiaOnline.com reported on Thursday.

Speaking at a meeting of the Council on Democracy and Human Rights in Pristina, Svecla said the greatest challenge this year has been the protection of public order, public security and the territorial integrity of Kosovo. Another challenge has been to spread sovereignty over North Kosovo.

According to Svecla, Kosovo's security institutions have been faced with "extremist attacks" but coped well enough with the Banjska attack carried out by Serb militants against the local police in a northern Kosovo village on September 24.

Milan Radojcic, former deputy leader of Srpska Lista, the largest Kosovo Serb party, claimed the whole responsibility for the events in Banjska, in which a Kosovo policeman and three of the armed assailants died. Radojcic was arrested, but a day later was released by the Serb authorities. Interpol issued a red notice on him.

Svecla estimated that about 100 attacks have been committed against Kosovo police in recent years. One of them was perpetrated on Wednesday, when an officer's life was endangered. Nevertheless, the situation in North Kosovo has improved considerably, the minister concluded.

According to information from KosovaPress.com, an unidentified person tried to hit a police officer with his car in the town of Mitrovica, as a result of which the only damage was to the officer's car.