Kosovo Minister and Spy Chief Sacked Over Turkish Arrests

Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj on Friday sought the immediate removal of the head of Kosovo's Intelligence Agency, Driton Gashi, and the Interior Minister, Flamur Sefaj, after a group of Turkish citizens were arrested and reportedly deported on Thursday without his knowledge.

The announcement said Haradinaj had not been duly informed about the "secret and urgent deportation" of six Turkish nationals.

"The operation ... was conducted without informing me, or requesting my permission as Prime Minister," Haradinaj noted.

The law on the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, states that the dismissal of the KIA director requires the signature of the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci.

Police on Thursday arrested several employees of Turkish colleges in Kosovo, allegedly linked to the exiled cleric Fetullah Gulen, who Turkey calls a terrorist.

But, following the arrest, a number of senior officials claimed they had not been informed about the operation.

First reports stated that three men were arrested in Gjakova/Djakovica and two others in Pristina, all of whom worked for the Mehmet Akif schools network in Kosovo. Reports said they were deported to Turkey almost immediately.

President Thaci, the speaker of parliament, Kadri Veseli, Prime Minister Haradinaj and the Foreign Minister, Behgjet Pacolli, all condemned the hasty operation.

However, it is still not clear yet where the arrested persons are being held.

The families and lawyers of the arrested men suspect they are still being held somewhere in Kosovo. The families have requested a meeting with Haradinaj, demanding clarification, as they say they do not trust the Turkish embassy.

During a parliamentary session, Haradinaj told MPs that, according to his...