Hundreds of NATO troops have arrived to reinforce the alliance's peacekeeping force in Kosovo following a series of clashes in the breakaway region's north.
"NATO reinforcements have begun arriving in Kosovo following a series of clashes last week that left around 30 peacekeepers injured. Around 500 soldiers from Türkiye's 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade form the core of the reinforcements," NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu announced on June 5.
Earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on May 30 that the alliance would deploy 700 more troops to Kosovo to reinforce the 4,000-strong force in the breakaway region of Kosovo. Mr. Stoltenberg declared that NATO was ready to send more troops there.
"NATO will continue to be vigilant. We will be present here to ensure a safe environment, as well as to calm the situation and reduce tensions," Mr. Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Oslo, Norway.
Serbian protesters sit in front of NATO soldiers in the town of Zvecan, Kosovo on May 29. Photo: Reuters
Clashes between Serbian protesters and Kosovo police and NATO forces broke out in front of the administrative building in the town of Zvecan, Kosovo on May 29. NATO soldiers from KFOR initially tried to separate protesters from police, then used shields and batons to disperse the crowd.
Some protesters threw rocks, bottles and burning bottles at NATO soldiers, but they were quickly pushed back several hundred meters from the building. The clashes left more than 30 NATO soldiers and more than 50 protesters injured.
After the May 29 clashes in Zvecan, hundreds of Serbs continued to gather in front of the city's administrative building, which was surrounded by barbed wire and surrounded by NATO soldiers in riot gear.
Kosovo Serbs boycotted April local elections in the breakaway north, which gave ethnic Albanian officials control of local councils despite voter turnout of less than 3.5%.
The Serb community in the breakaway region also demanded the withdrawal of Kosovo special police, as well as the Albanian mayor whom they do not consider representative of their ethnicity.
Location of Kosovo and Serbia. Graphic: Britannica
Kosovo, with an area of about 10,800 km2, is a breakaway territory located in the southwest of Serbia. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize it and claims sovereignty over this area. Kosovo has a population of 1.8 million, mainly Albanians.
About 120,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo do not recognize the government in Pristina. They are politically loyal to Serbia, which still provides financial support to the community. Most Western countries recognize Kosovo's independence, but the breakaway region has not been granted a seat at the United Nations due to opposition from Russia and China.
Nguyen Tien (According to Reuters )
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