30 worldwide peacekeepers injured in fierce clashes with ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — The NATO-led peacekeeping power in Kosovo, KFOR, on Tuesday raised the variety of its troops injured in fierce clashes with ethnic Serbs to 30.

The Serbs had tried to take over the places of work of one of many municipalities in northern Kosovo the place ethnic Albanian mayors took up their posts final week.

An announcement stated that 11 Italian troopers and 19 Hungarian ones “sustained multiple injuries, including fractures and burns from improvized explosive incendiary devices.” It added that three Hungarian troopers had been “wounded by the use of firearms,” however their accidents are usually not life-threatening.

The Serbs clashed with NATO troops within the municipality of Zvecan, 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of the capital, Pristina.

“Both parties need to take full responsibility for what happened and prevent any further escalation, rather than hide behind false narratives,” stated KFOR commander Maj. Gen. Angelo Michele Ristuccia.

Ethnic Serbs plan to collect once more on Tuesday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spent the evening along with his troops on the border with Kosovo. They had been positioned on the very best state of alert on his orders final week. Vucic stated 52 Serbs had been injured within the clashes, three significantly.

Kosovo police stated 4 individuals had been detained.

The violence was the newest incident as tensions soared over the previous weekend when ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo tried to dam lately elected ethnic Albanian officers from coming into municipal buildings. Kosovo police fired tear gasoline to disperse the group and let the brand new officers into the places of work. Serbia put the nation’s navy on excessive alert and despatched extra troops to the border with Kosovo.

Kosovo and Serbia have been foes for many years, with Belgrade refusing to acknowledge Kosovo’s 2008 sovereignty.

The United States and the European Union have stepped up efforts to assist remedy the Kosovo-Serbia dispute, fearing additional instability in Europe as Russia’s conflict rages in Ukraine. The EU has made it clear to each Serbia and Kosovo that they have to normalize relations in the event that they’re to make any progress towards becoming a member of the bloc.

Western ambassadors of the so-called Quint – France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States – met in Pristina with Prime Minister Albin Kurti, asking him to take steps to de-escalate and decrease tensions, whereas strongly denouncing the Serbs’ violence towards KFOR troops and journalists.

“Ultra-nationalistic Serb graffiti on NATO vehicles is a dark reminder in Kosovo We stand for peace and security,” stated Kurti after the assembly.

Quint ambassadors are to satisfy with Vucic, and he’s additionally assembly with Russian and Chinese ambassadors to indicate he has help for his insurance policies.

Ethnic Serbs in Zvecan, Leposavic, Zubin Potok and Mitrovica, 4 municipalities within the north, held elections final month that had been largely boycotted by ethnic Serbs. Only ethnic Albanian or different smaller minority representatives had been elected to the mayoral posts and assemblies.

The battle in Kosovo erupted in 1998 when separatist ethnic Albanians rebelled towards Serbia’s rule, and Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown. About 13,000 individuals, largely ethnic Albanians, died. NATO’s navy intervention in 1999 finally pressured Serbia to drag out of the territory. Washington and most EU international locations have acknowledged Kosovo as an unbiased state, however Serbia, Russia and China haven’t.

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