Serbian President Vucic sends army chief to border with Kosovo. Taliban demand suspension of NGO workers in Afghanistan

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic sent the army chief of staff to the Kosovo border on Sunday night. The tasks given to the Serbian army were “accurate, clear” and would be “fully executed”.

General Mojsilovic said this to the Pink TV channel after his conversation with Vucic in Belgrade. The situation on the border is “complicated and complex” and requires “the presence of the Serbian army in the coming period”.

Kosovo, with its predominantly Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but is still considered a breakaway region by Belgrade. Only a few years ago, both countries fought a bloody war. Despite the EU’s attempts at dialogue, they have repeatedly been at odds for years. Belgrade encourages the Serb minority in northern Kosovo in their efforts to defy Pristina’s authority.

Tensions rose in December

Tensions on the border with Serbia rose again in December. Nightly shots at police officers and an attack on the EU mission EULEX with a stun grenade had raised international concern.

Shortly before the army chief left for the border area, several Serbian media outlets shared a video of gunfire that was shared online. According to them, these were “battles” that took place in the early evening. The Kosovar armed forces allegedly tried to dismantle a barricade previously erected by Serbs.

The Kosovo police denies

This was immediately denied by the Kosovo police. She said on her Facebook page that none of her employees were involved in a shootout. Instead, according to Kosovo media, a Kosovo Peacekeeping Force (KFOR) patrol was in the shooting range. The NATO-led mission expanded its presence in the region a few days ago. She initially declined to comment on the incident.

In view of the rising tensions in the north of Kosovo, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic recently warned of an escalation of the situation. “We are really on the verge of armed conflict,” she said in Belgrade last week. She blamed the government in Pristina for the tensions. (sda/afp)