Following a substantial blast in Kosovo that caused damage to a canal, eight individuals have been taken into custody, momentarily halting the supply of power and water to cities across the nation.
Prime Minister Albin Kurti attributed the explosion on Friday in Vrage, located 37 miles (60km) north of the capital Pristina, to groups backed by Serbia.
According to Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla, law enforcement apprehended eight suspects believed to be involved in the incident, which disrupted water supply to various cities and key power facilities.
“We somehow managed to rectify the damage, detain the suspects, and seize a significant cache of weapons,” he stated during a live-streamed press briefing.
Kosovo’s police chief Gazmend Hoxha revealed that officers conducted raids at 10 different sites, confiscating over 200 military uniforms, six rocket launchers, rifles, handguns, and a variety of ammunition.
He added that approximately 15 to 20kg of explosives were utilized and that the eight individuals arrested “are believed to be involved in inciting, organizing, and even executing these recent acts of terrorism, particularly the one at the Iber Lepenc canal.”
Authorities indicated that most of those detained are affiliated with the local Serbian organization Civilna Zastita (Civil Protection), which the Kosovo government has designated as a terrorist entity.
NATO peacekeepers near the damaged canal. Pic: Reuters/Valdrin Xhemaj
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic rejected what he described as “unfounded allegations” regarding Belgrade’s involvement.
Security measures had already been intensified following two recent incidents where hand grenades were thrown at a police station and a municipal building in northern Kosovo, an area populated by ethnic Serbs.
The European Union and the United States have vehemently condemned the explosion, insisting on accountability for the perpetrators.
Relations between Kosovo and Serbia remain strained, despite numerous efforts from the international community to foster normalization.
Kosovo was previously part of Serbia until NATO’s 78-day bombing campaign in 1999 concluded a conflict between Serbian state forces and ethnic Albanian separatists in the region.
Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, which Belgrade refuses to acknowledge.
Brussels and Washington are urging both parties to adhere to the agreements reached by Mr. Vucic and Mr. Kurti in February and March of last year.
Since 1999, NATO has been conducting a peacekeeping operation in Kosovo, with Italian troops among the current forces stationed in the area.
