Exclusive-Kosovo's president blames Serbia for shootout, says Kosovo 'under attack'

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani talks to Reuters after a deadly shootout in the northern part of the country, in Pristina, Kosovo September 28, 2023. REUTERS/Laura Hasani

PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo's president Vjosa Osmani has accused Serbia and its president Aleksandar Vucic of being behind a shootout between armed men and Kosovar police in the north of the country last weekend, in the worst violence in the restive area in years.

Kosovo authorities said police fought around 30 heavily-armed Serbs who stormed the quiet village of Banjska on Sunday and barricaded themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Three attackers and one police officer were killed.