Dozens of NAT0-led peacekeepers injured in clashes with ethnic Serbs

The NATOled peacekeeping force said on Monday that 25 of its troops were injured in clashes with ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo after they tried to take over the offices of one of the municipalities where ethnic Albanian mayors took up their posts last week.

The Serbs clashed with NATO troops and Kosovo police in the municipality of Zvecan, 45 kilometres north of the capital. The soldiers fired tear gas and stun grenades to protect the Kosovar officers and disperse protesters, according to witnesses. The Serbs responded by throwing rocks and other hard objects at them.

“Several soldiers of the Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent were the subject of unprovoked attacks and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns due to the explosion of incendiary devices,” said the NATO peacekeepers.

Some Kosovo police vehicles and one belonging to journalists were damaged and sprayed with Serb nationalist symbols.

Addressing the country late Monday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he would spend the night with his troops on the border with Kosovo who were placed on the highest state of alert on his orders last week. He said 52 Serbs were injured in the clashes, three seriously, and four were detained.

“The consequences (of the clashes) are big and grave and the sole culprit is (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti,” Vucic said. He referred to the Albanian forces in the north Kosovo as “occupiers.”

“I repeat for the last time and I beg the international community to make sure Albin Kurti sees reason,” Vucic said.

The violence was the latest incident as tensions soared over the past weekend, with Serbia putting the country’s military on high alert and sending more troops to the border with Kosovo, which declared independence from Belgrade in 2008.

Kosovo and Serbia have been foes for decades, with Belgrade refusing to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty.

The U.S. and the EU have stepped up efforts to help solve the KosovoSerbia dispute, fearing further instability in Europe as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine. The EU has made it clear to both Serbia and Kosovo they must normalize relations if they’re to make any progress toward joining the bloc.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the situation in Kosovo “worrisome,” blaming the U.S. and NATO for claiming dominance in that part of the world.