Balkans | Kosovo demands the transfer of the detained Serbian police by NATO helicopter

Yesterday the international media covered Kosovo’s Interior Minister Çelal Svechla’s statement that they had made a request to the international community to transfer former police officer Dejan Pantik to the detention centre.

The Reuters news agency wrote that Kosovo had asked KFOR, the NATO peacekeeping force operating in the country, to transfer by helicopter the former Serbian police officer, who was arrested two weeks ago.

Due to Serbs setting up roadblocks in northern Kosovo, the Kosovo Police are unable to transport the detained former Serbian police officer by road to southern Kosovo.

Kosovo Serbs in the north, who have closed the roads to traffic, are demanding the release of the Serbian police in order to remove the roadblocks.

Kosovo’s interior minister, Xelal Svecla, said in a statement yesterday evening that he had asked NATO for help with a helicopter to transport the Serbian police officer, who was arrested on suspicion of attacking CEC officials in the north, to the detention center, not to a police station in the north.

The Kosovo Army does not have helicopters.

Meanwhile, KFOR has transferred nine Kosovo police officers to the south, who have been stranded in the past few days due to road pollution in the north.

He was warned that if the KFOR did not remove the barricades, the Kosovo Police could remove the barricades by force.

Kosovaport