An Afghan man has died in a gun battle in a forest area in northern Serbia, close to the Hungarian border. Two other men, also Afghan nationals, were injured in the shootout near the town of Subotica.
Police responding to reports of gunfire in the forest near Subotica in northern Serbia found the body of an Afghan man near a road on the outskirts of the Hajdukovo settlement on Monday evening, according to local media.
They also discovered another man there, who had been injured. The local hospital in Subotica said it was treating a third person in connection with the incident as well.
An investigation has been launched.
In July 2022, a man was killed and six others from Afghanistan and Pakistan were injured during a similar shootout in the area.
A dangerous border
Serbia's northern border region is home to informal settlements of hundreds of migrants who, with the help of people smugglers, repeatedly try to breach the border fence there to enter EU-member Hungary.
To curb irregular immigration, Hungary built a fence on its border with Serbia back in 2015 already, when large numbers of migrants began using the Western Balkan route through Turkey, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia to reach the European Union.
But having paid as much as €10,000 to agents to reach the external border of the European Union here, migrants and their smugglers refer to this back-and-forth as "the game."
But many of them also sustain injuries during these continuous attempts to cross the border, as officials employ ever-new methods to control borders.
This is why smugglers in the region also keep exploring new ways to continue their lucrative business, often in direct competition with each other.
Frequent reports of violence
This is why this 'gateway' 'to the EU has also seen increased violence between rival migrant smugglers -- as may be the case in this latest shootout.
According to residents, local politicians and journalists, the smugglers keep a tight rein over the migrants, and territorial clashes are common.
Radio Free Europe reports that last month, three people were injured in a shootout in Makova Sednica near Subotica, leading to the arrest of two people.
According to RFE, the penalty for people smuggling in Serbia is a prison sentence of between six months and five years.
With RFE, dpa