Prishtina, 24 September 2025
Honorable Mr. Dimal Basha, Speaker of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, and Ms. Albulena Haxhiu, Deputy Speaker of the Assembly,
Honorable Mr. Xhelal Sveçla, Minister of Internal Affairs,
Honorable Mr. Petrit Ajeti, Director of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency,
Honorable Colonel Gazmend Hoxha, Director General of the Kosovo Police,
Honored Bunjaku family—wife Lumnije, daughter Arbenita, sons Fatlum and Jetlum, brother Mujë Bunjaku,
Distinguished representatives of the diplomatic corps in Kosovo,
Honorable Members of the Assembly of the Republic,
Honorable members of the Government Cabinet,
Honorable police officers, colleagues of Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku,
Honorable veterans and invalids of the Liberation War,
Honored families of the martyrs of the nation,
Dear citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,
Honored guests,
Brothers and sisters,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On the long and difficult road of liberation and state-building that our homeland has gone through, September 24, 2023, will remain one of the key dates in the chronology of the history of the Republic of Kosovo. Therefore, today, on September 24, 2025, we are gathered at this commemorative academy to honor and remember Afrim Bunjaku, the distinguished name of the heroic policeman who was killed during the state resistance two years ago, for the rule of law and freedom of movement, for the protection of the territory of Kosovo.
On that Sunday, September 24, 2023, the state of Kosovo faced the most aggressive and dangerous attack against the sovereignty and integrity of the republic. In the early hours of that morning, a group of heavily armed Serbian terrorists, trained for military operations, carried out an act of aggression with the aim of seizing and detaching a part of Kosovo’s territory in its north. But the professional, determined, and courageous response of the Kosovo Police thwarted this operation, defending Kosovo’s land, territorial integrity, and the indivisibility of the Republic.
In the early morning of September 24, 2023, after the Border Rapid Intervention Unit had reported that the entrance to the village of Banjska in Zveçan was blocked by two trucks, the Patrol Team Supervisor at the Zveçan Police Station, Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku, who that night was also the shift commander, set out with his colleagues toward the scene. At the entrance of Banjska village in Zveçan, they were attacked by a remotely detonated anti-personnel mine, followed by bursts of fire from various weapons.
In that attack, police officer Alban Rashiti was wounded, while Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku died from his injuries. Afterwards, a wide police operation in Banjska foiled the annexation plan of the Serbian paramilitary terrorist group, leaving at least three of its members dead and neutralizing the threat posed by the others.
Fallen that day in the line of duty, the hero Afrim Bunjaku is a martyr of the defense of Kosovo’s territorial integrity, a hero of professional courage, of loyalty to police duties, and of fidelity to the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. By fulfilling his patriotic duty to the very end, even giving his life for the preservation of Kosovo’s territorial freedom, Sergeant Afrim Bunjaku became a martyr of Kosovo’s liberty.
The Serbian terrorist group that attacked Kosovo in its north on September 24, 2023, concentrated in Banjska of Zveçan, was a paramilitary group organized, trained, instructed, and financed by the state of Serbia. All its members were trained by the Serbian army, gendarmerie, and police, and supplied with weapons, ammunition, and equipment manufactured in Serbia’s state-owned arms industry. The seriousness of Serbia’s annexation plan against Kosovo’s territory that day was revealed by the vast quantity of weapons, ammunition, uniforms, tactical military gear, armored and militarized vehicles, maps, and various technological devices seized in Banjska in the days following the operation. That this operational plan was designed to extend across a wide area of Kosovo’s north with the aim of detaching it has been further proven by the fact that even two years later, until just days ago, the Kosovo Police continued to find weapons, ammunition, uniforms, and military equipment in various locations in the north, all linked to the same criminal activities. Much information has been learned from the materials seized there and from the ongoing judicial process against members of the Serbian terrorist group of Banjska.
As shown in the drone footage of September 24, 2023, the leader of the criminal group was Milan Radoičić, then deputy leader of the Serbian List party. Despite this, the Serbian List has never condemned the terrorist attack in Banjska.
At this point, let me say it as clearly as possible: neither the Serbian List nor any party or organization, whether secret or legal, will ever be able to take away a single fragment of the territory, sovereignty, or independence of the Republic of Kosovo. Because Kosovo is, and will continue to remain, a successful story of statehood—one preceded by thousands of years of political imprisonment, more than two thousand martyrs killed in the just war of the Kosovo Liberation Army, and thousands of unarmed civilians killed and massacred in the war with Serbia. Serbia not only has a criminal and genocidal past from the Balkan wars, but also continues to pursue destabilizing and hegemonistic policies with its neighbors today.
On this journey of success, Kosovo and its people have not been and are not alone. We have had, and continue to have, alongside us the states and peoples with whom we share the common values of freedom, democracy, and prosperity. First and foremost, the United States of America, the strong and steadfast supporter of state-building in Kosovo; then the United Kingdom and Germany, Italy and France, Turkey and Croatia, and of course Albania—the state that speaks our language and that will one day, in Albanian, welcome us into NATO.
Today, on the second anniversary of the Banjska attack, let me emphasize that Milan Radoičić—the person for whom we have irrefutable evidence of being both involved in and leading the Banjska group—has been indicted in Kosovo. Although he himself admitted responsibility for organizing and leading the Banjska attack, he was released from pre-trial detention in Serbia one day after his arrest, and for two years now he has been free and active in Belgrade.
Meanwhile, Kosovo citizen Arbnor Spahiu, accused by Serbia of having been involved as a police officer in the Banjska case—though he was never a member of the Kosovo Police when Banjska occurred, and had long been living in Germany—is still being held in pre-trial detention since June 7, now for 110 days. Unfortunately, the international community has failed to address either case successfully: in the first, we are dealing with an international terrorist criminal, and in the second, with an ordinary citizen whose freedoms are being denied and whose rights are being violated, despite never having had any problems with the law.
The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, which monitors and mentors our justice system, must join Kosovo’s demand for the extradition of Milan Radoičić to Kosovo’s law enforcement and judicial authorities. We are a democratic state and we guarantee a fair trial for everyone, regardless of the seriousness of the crime in this case, or the ethnic background of the accused.
The very structure of the Kosovo Police demonstrates and reflects this. For example, from March 2021 to July 2025, when 2,731 new members were recruited into the Kosovo Police, 2,368 were Albanians; 208 were Serbs; 86 Bosniaks; 23 Turks; 20 Egyptians; 19 Ashkali; 9 Roma; 3 Gorani; and 1 Circassian. The Kosovo Police is multi-ethnic. Kosovo has one of the most professional and well-trained police forces, with a high level of democratic oversight and internal equality.
Bravo to the Kosovo Police officers who took part in the operation of September 24, 2023, defending Kosovo’s territory from Serbia during the criminal attack with annexationist goals in Banjska. The history of the state of Kosovo will honor you and remember you for your professionalism and courage, as well as for the service you rendered to the Republic.
Glory to the hero Afrim Bunjaku, martyr of the inviolable freedom of the Republic of Kosovo!
Thank you!
