In the midst of tensions between Belgrade and Pristina, units of the NATO-led KFOR have been observed in the northern part of Kosovo
Late on Saturday, peacekeepers from the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) were observed in Kosovska Mitrovica, which is in the northern part of the Kosovo province of Serbia.
According to video taken at the location and shared by local media, the group was seen manning a bridge over the Ibar River and appears to be made up of Italian carabinieri forces. The bridge divides the city between the northern, mostly Serb-populated portion and the southern, mostly Albanian-populated portion.
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In a statement released on Sunday night, KFOR, the NATO-led peacekeeping force, stated that it was “prepared to intervene if stability is compromised.”
Italian peacekeepers are apparently standing watch on the "New Bridge" separating the Serbian and Albanian sides of the city of Mitrovica in Northern Kososo this evening. pic.twitter.com/EDEUbpJ7ML
— Kyle Glen (@KyleJGlen) July 31, 2022
According to reports, the KFOR has been put on high alert after a sizable military convoy of 30 to 40 vehicles was seen moving in the direction of the border between the breakaway territory and the rest of Serbia. The equipment and people of the Kosovo Special Police have also been seen moving about aggressively.
⚡️A video has appeared on the network of how Kosovo's special forces are being pulled to the border with Serbia. pic.twitter.com/qYzu71KvPP
— FLASH (@Flash_news_ua) July 31, 2022
KFOR said it would “take whatever measures are necessary to keep a safe and secure environment in Kosovo at all times, in line with its UN mandate.”
Ethnic Serbs have reportedly set up barricades on several roads in Kosovska Mitrovica and its vicinity. At least one Serb has been reportedly beaten up by Kosovo police units as he tried to get through the barricades. The injured man reportedly ended up hospitalized.
Tensions have arisen as the contentious plan by the breakaway region’s ethnic Albanian leadership to outlaw Serb license plates and identifying cards has advanced. Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, asserted that the decision was made to ensure that the law and justice were applied equally throughout the claimed regions.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Kosovo authorities of seeking to “impose on the people in northern Kosovo-Metohija things they have no right to impose,” warning that Belgrade will not stand by idly.
“The atmosphere has been heated up, and the Serbs will not suffer any more atrocities,” Vucic said.
Earlier, Serbian president alleged the controversial registration plan was a part of an effort to force the remaining ethnic Serbs out of Kosovo.
Caroline Ziadeh, head of the UN mission in the province UNMIK, urged both sides “to address issues in good faith through the EU-facilitated dialogue, to strengthen stability and security for all.”
NATO occupied Kosovo in 1999, after a 78-day air war against what was then Yugoslavia. The province unilaterally declared independence in 2008 with support of the US and most of its allies. The breakaway region, however, has not received universal support, with Serbia Russia, China and the UN as a whole not recognizing it.
the source used in the preparation of the news: https://www.rt.com
