"Campaign of lies against Serbia", Vucic denies the military build-up on the border with Kosovo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday denied US reports of a military build-up along the border with Kosovo, complaining of what he said was a "campaign of lies" against his country, a week after an attack on Kosovo police in the village Banjska in the north of the country.

Last Sunday, a Kosovo police officer was killed and two others were injured in an attack by a heavily armed group. The group then took shelter in the Orthodox monastery of the village of Banjské. During the clashes that lasted almost the whole day, three of the attackers were killed.

The attack increased the already high tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, while increasing Western concerns about the possibility of renewed conflicts in the region.

The United States and the European Union expressed concern over what they described as "an increased Serbian military build-up on the border with Kosovo", while asking Belgrade to urgently withdraw its troops.

The government of Kosovo said on Saturday that it is monitoring the movements of the Serbian army, demanding the immediate removal of troops from its border.

"Wide campaign against our country Serbia. Campaign of lies - campaign of untruths. They have lied about the presence of our military forces. In fact, they are concerned that Serbia has what they describe as sophisticated weapons," the Serbian president said on Sunday in a social media post.

The Associated Press news agency published footage on Sunday showing Serbian army vehicles moving towards central Serbia, a sign that the army may scale back its presence in the region following US and European appeals.

Kosova e akuzon Serbinë se qëndron prapa sulmit të së dielës së kaluar, ndërkaq Beogradi mohon çfarëdo lidhjeje me grupin e armatosur. Sulmi u mor përsipër nga Milan Radoiçiç nënkryetar i deritashëm i Listës Serbe, partisë më të madhe të serbëve të Kosovës që është themeluar dhe mbështetet nga Beogradi.

Presidenti serb Vuçiç, tha të dielën se brenda 24 orëve do t'i paraqesë publikut provat dhe tregimet e dëshmitarëve lidhur me sulmin në fshatin Banjskë në veri të Kosovës.

“Kemi deklarimet e dëshmitarëve, njerëzve që kanë qenë aty dhe kanë parë se në çfarë mënyre të paktën një serb është vrarë brutalisht. Serbia nuk do të qetësohet derisa të dihet e vërteta e plotë sepse jetët e serbëve nuk janë më pak të vlefshme se jetët e të tjerëve”, tha ai.

Western diplomacy has widely condemned the attack on the Kosovo police, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to justice. The European Union, among others, has emphasized that the attackers can never be equated with the victims.