The Minister of the Interior in Kosovo, Xhelal Sveçla, has said that illegal Serbian groups are making efforts to hinder the work of the Kosovo authorities. He made these statements while commenting on Saturday's attack on Kosovo Police officials in the north of the country. 

The municipalities in the north of Kosovo, such as North Mitrovica, Zubin Potok, Zveçan and Leposaviq, are inhabited by a majority of Serbs. 

According to the Police, the border surveillance unit in Zubin Potok was attacked 10 times with firearms while it was deploying a patrol boat in Lake Ujman, but no one was injured. 

Sveçla has said that the Police has been carrying out a routine check on this lake. 

"Shooting a gun at a police official is an attack on the main institution of the state. In less than 1 week, 2 times the criminal structures have shot at police officials to hinder them or to kill them", Sveçla said in a post on social media. 

According to the minister, illegal Serbian groups "are already being protected and publicly supported by certain Serbian structures". 

He said that the authorities will not be deterred from carrying out their duties, "regardless of any organized or orchestrated attack by criminals that hinders our work in every corner of the Republic of Kosovo". 

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said later that they have started investigations into these shootings. According to him, this is the second time in less than a week that the Kosovo Police has been attacked by "criminal gangs in the north". 

"Thankfully, there are no victims. Today, the streets are free of barricades. But criminal gangs continue to barricade themselves against our law enforcement agencies and our fight against organized crime," Kurti said in a tweet.