ZVECAN, Kosovo, May 30 (Reuters) – In response to the heightened unrest following the appointment of ethnic Albanian mayors in northern Serb-majority areas, NATO has decided to deploy an additional 700 troops to Kosovo, while placing another battalion on high alert for potential deployment.
On Tuesday, in the town of Zvecan, NATO soldiers from the United States, Poland, and Italy, equipped with anti-riot gear, secured a municipal building amidst protests by Serbs against the Albanian mayor.
According to Serbian officials in Zvecan, the Serbian protesters dispersed around 4 p.m. and plan to return on Wednesday morning, as reported by the Serbian Tanjug news agency.
During clashes between Serb protesters and NATO peacekeeping soldiers on Monday, 30 soldiers were injured while 52 protesters sustained injuries. Currently, NATO has approximately 4,000 soldiers stationed in Kosovo, and Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed the decision to deploy more troops.
Stoltenberg stated, “We have decided to deploy 700 more troops from the operational reserve force for the Western Balkans and put an additional battalion of reserve forces on high alertness so they can also be deployed if needed,” during a press conference in Oslo.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, a Reuters reporter witnessed four large NATO convoys heading north.
The United States and its allies have criticized Kosovo for escalating tensions with Serbia, citing the use of force in installing mayors in ethnic Serb areas as detrimental to improving relations with Serbia.
In response, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has placed the army on full combat alert and ordered units to move closer to the border.
The majority Serbs in northern Kosovo have never recognized Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence from Serbia, and they consider Belgrade their capital, even more than two decades after the Kosovo Albanian uprising against Serbian rule.
Northern Serbs have long advocated for the implementation of a 2013 EU-brokered deal for the establishment of an association of autonomous municipalities in their area, as ethnic Albanians comprise over 90% of the population in Kosovo as a whole.
In the town of Leposavic near the Serbian border, masked men vandalized a car with an Albanian license plate belonging to “A2, CNN affiliate,” as witnessed by a Reuters reporter. Another vehicle belonging to a different media outlet was also damaged. No injuries were reported.
Amidst the escalating tensions, the U.S. canceled Kosovo’s participation in a military drill after Pristina refused to withdraw the newly appointed mayors and its police forces from the north.
“We’re thinking through other implications as well,” said U.S. ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged leaders from Kosovo and Serbia to find ways to de-escalate the situation, emphasizing that Europe cannot afford another conflict.
Russia, which has strong ties with Serbia, called for decisive actions to quell the unrest and urged the West to cease blaming incidents in Kosovo on Serbs.
While Kosovo authorities have accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of destabilizing the region, Vucic, after meeting with ambassadors of the Quint group in Belgrade, requested the removal of Albanian mayors from their offices in the north.
Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani stated that criminal gangs supported by Vucic aimed to destabilize Kosovo and the entire region.
