Kosovo Tensions Escalate as Serbs and NATO Clash
NATO peacekeepers clashed with Serb protesters in Kosovo, resulting in injuries to Italian and Hungarian soldiers.
Serbia's president raised the army's combat readiness to the highest level.
Kosovo's president accused Serbia's president of destabilizing Kosovo, while Serbia's president accused Kosovo's prime minister of creating tensions.
Serbs in Kosovo clashed with Kosovo police and NATO soldiers, throwing tear gas and stun grenades.
Serbs also spray-painted NATO vehicles with the letter "Z." The tense situation developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in Kosovo's Serb-majority area, which led to US and allied rebuke of Pristina.
Serbian forces raised their combat readiness in response to the situation.
In April, Serbs refused to participate in local elections in Kosovo, leading to ethnic Albanian candidates winning mayoralties in four Serb-majority municipalities with a low turnout.
Serbs are demanding that the Kosovo government remove ethnic Albanian mayors and allow local administrations financed by Belgrade to resume work.
On Friday, three out of four ethnic Albanian mayors were escorted into their offices by police, who were then attacked by protesters.
The United States and its allies have criticized Pristina for imposing mayors in Serb-majority areas without popular support, while the Kosovo government and its supporters argue that elected mayors will provide services to all citizens.
The US ambassador to Kosovo has called for an end to violence against official property.
Kosovo's president accused Serbia's president of destabilizing Kosovo, while Serbia's president accused Kosovo's prime minister of creating tensions.
Serbs in Kosovo clashed with Kosovo police and NATO soldiers, throwing tear gas and stun grenades.
Serbs also spray-painted NATO vehicles with the letter "Z." The tense situation developed after ethnic Albanian mayors took office in Kosovo's Serb-majority area, which led to US and allied rebuke of Pristina.
Serbian forces raised their combat readiness in response to the situation.
In April, Serbs refused to participate in local elections in Kosovo, leading to ethnic Albanian candidates winning mayoralties in four Serb-majority municipalities with a low turnout.
Serbs are demanding that the Kosovo government remove ethnic Albanian mayors and allow local administrations financed by Belgrade to resume work.
On Friday, three out of four ethnic Albanian mayors were escorted into their offices by police, who were then attacked by protesters.
The United States and its allies have criticized Pristina for imposing mayors in Serb-majority areas without popular support, while the Kosovo government and its supporters argue that elected mayors will provide services to all citizens.
The US ambassador to Kosovo has called for an end to violence against official property.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
