Prime Minister Albin Kurti of Kosovo made an announcement on Saturday about the preparation of armed individuals from Serbia for new provocations in September. This comes after a recent provocation in which four people were killed. According to Reuters, Serbia is also considering a similar program.

Kurti, speaking in Mamushalis, Kosovo, stated that Miljan Radovic, a high-ranking Serb official, who had admitted to participating in the September provocations, is now being prepared for new operations. He claimed that Radovic is currently involved in the preparation of other provocations in Kosovo and has meetings with the highest authorities of the Serbian intelligence service BIA.

In response, Petar Petković, the head of the government’s administration for Kosovo and Metohija in Serbia, declared Kurti’s statement to be false, stating, “This is a baseless lie uttered by Belgrade.”

On September 24, a group of 80 armed individuals, primarily Albanians, attacked a Serbian border guard in the village of Banjska, resulting in the death of one border guard and three civilians.

The prosecutors in Kosovo have issued arrest warrants for Radovic and 30 others who are believed to be in Serbia and involved in attacks on the Kosovo police. They are also accused of providing financial and logistical support to Radovic and his group.

Kosovo, with a predominantly ethnic Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008 following a period of ethnic unrest and NATO intervention in 1999. The country’s population includes approximately five percent ethnic Serbs, who have differing views on Kosovo’s independence and their connection to Belgrade. There have been clashes between ethnic Serbs, Kosovo’s security forces, and international peacekeepers. In response to the recent tensions, NATO has deployed an additional 1,000 soldiers from 27 countries to enhance security in the region.