Conflict escalates: Kosovo accuses Serbia of kidnapping police officers

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The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo is on the rise. Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, 48, said on Wednesday that Serbian police likely “kidnapped” three police officers on Kosovo territory. The interior ministry in Belgrade, for its part, said the three Kosovo police officers had been arrested in “central Serbia”. It was initially unclear which representation was correct.

Tensions have been rising between the two neighboring countries for months. Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Serbia does not recognize this and demands the return of its former province. Ethnic Serbs live almost exclusively in the north of Kosovo, while ethnic Albanians live almost exclusively in the rest of the country.

Kurti accuses Serbia of escalation

Kurti wrote on Facebook that the three police officers were kidnapped in northern Kosovo, about 300 meters from the border with Serbia. “We suspect they were kidnapped by the Serbian army.” This is believed to be an act of revenge on the part of Belgrade, as Kosovo police had arrested a suspected mastermind behind the bloody attacks on NATO soldiers in northern Kosovo the day before in late May. “The invasion of Serbian forces on the territory of Kosovo is aggression aimed at escalation and destabilization,” Kurti wrote.

The Interior Ministry in Belgrade said the three arrested Kosovo policemen had plotted a “terrorist act”. They were equipped with automatic weapons, maps and GPS devices. The Interior Ministry has released photos and videos of the alleged arrest.

In late May, a Serb mob of soldiers from the NATO-led security force KFOR attacked with stun grenades and stones in the town of Zvecan in northern Kosovo. 30 KFOR soldiers and about 50 Serbs were injured in the clashes. The KFOR unit had guarded a mayor’s office. (SDA)

Source: Blick