BBC News Top Stories-World Kosovo and Serbia row over monastery gun battle
September 25, 2023 3 min 530 words
这则报道揭示了科索沃和塞尔维亚之间的紧张局势再次升级，这是多年来最严重的事件之一。据报道，在科索沃北部的一个塞尔维亚东正教修道院中，爆发了一场致命的冲突，导致一名警察和三名枪手丧生。这一事件引发了双方的互相指责。 科索沃总理阿尔宾·库尔蒂指责塞尔维亚支持这个武装组织，而塞尔维亚总统亚历山大·武奇奇则表示，科索沃官员对这些死亡负有最终责任。这次冲突发生在科索沃宣布独立后，但塞尔维亚以及其主要盟友中国和俄罗斯均不承认科索沃独立。 这一报道揭示了地区内的复杂纷争，以及科索沃内部民族构成的复杂性。虽然许多塞尔维亚人将科索沃视为他们民族的发源地，但科索沃却主要由阿尔巴尼亚族群组成。这种民族多样性是导致冲突和紧张局势的一个根本原因。 此外，国际社会也在这一事件中发挥了重要作用，尤其是北约（NATO）维和部队。欧盟外交政策负责人约瑟普·博雷尔谴责了这次"可怕的袭击"，并呼吁追究责任。这表明了国际社会对该地区局势的关切，并强调了持续稳定和和平解决争端的重要性。 综上所述，这则报道突显了科索沃和塞尔维亚之间复杂的地缘政治和民族纷争，以及国际社会在解决这些问题上的角色。稳定和和平解决这一地区问题仍然是一个长期而复杂的挑战。
Kosovo and Serbia have traded accusations over a deadly stand-off between ethnic Serb gunmen and police in northern Kosovo.
One policeman and three of the gunmen were killed during a siege of a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Banjska village on Sunday.
Kosovo's PM Albin Kurti accused Serbia of supporting the armed group.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Kosovo officials bore ultimate responsibility for the deaths.
He said the three gunmen killed were Kosovo Serbs.
Sunday's clash marks one of the gravest escalations in Kosovo for years, and follows months of mounting tension between the two sides.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 but Serbia - along with Belgrade's key allies China and Russia - does not recognise it.
Many Serbs consider it the birthplace of their nation. But of the 1.8 million people living in Kosovo, 92% are ethnic Albanians and only 6% are ethnic Serbs.
The shooting began at about 03:00 local time (01:00 GMT), after Kosovan police said they arrived in Banjska, where about 30 heavily armed gunmen had earlier barricaded themselves in the monastery near the Serbian border.
Three of the gunmen were killed in battles through the day as police mounted what Kosovo's interior minister Xhelal Svecla described as a "clearance operation".
"We put this territory under control. It was done after several consecutive battles," he said.
The local authorities said six people were arrested, and a significant number of weapons was seized. The authorities did not say whether those detained took part in the attack.
Meanwhile, the Serbian Orthodox Church said the gunmen had left the monastery by night, Reuters news agency reported.
The Kosovan police officer was killed before the occupation of the monastery.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed "Serbia-sponsored criminals" for the incursion, saying they were "professionals, with military and police background" who were financed and motivated by Belgrade.
Serbia's President Vucic hit back, blaming Mr Kurti for months of "provocations".
While describing the death of the Kosovo police officer as "absolutely reprehensible", he said Mr Kurti bore responsibility for the incident. "His only wish is to drag us into a war with Nato and that's the only thing he does all day".
Mr Vucic said there would have been fewer victims had Nato-led KFOR peacekeepers intervened.
There are currently about 4,500 peacekeepers in Kosovo.
The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, condemned what he called the "hideous attack", saying those responsible must be brought to justice.
Tensions have run high in Kosovo, after violent clashes followed disputed local elections in May
Kosovo Albanian mayors were installed in majority-ethnic Serb areas, after local residents boycotted the polls.
Mr Borrell blamed Mr Kurti for failing to set up the association of Serb-majority municipalities which would give them more autonomy.
Nato deployed an additional 700 troops to Kosovo to deal with unrest in the northern town Zvecan following the elections.
Some 30 Nato peacekeepers and more than 50 Serb protesters were hurt in the ensuing clashes.