Serbia put its security forces on the border with Kosovo in a full battle-ready state on December 27. This was despite NATO’s pleas for the two former Balkan enemies to calm down.
Bratislav Gasic, Serbia’s Interior Minister, said he ordered police and other security forces to be fully battle ready and put under the direction of the army chief of staff in accordance with their operational plan. In a statement, he claimed he was acting on directives from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to “take all steps to safeguard the Serbian people in Kosovo.”
The majority ethnic Albanian population in the province that declared independence in 2008 has been accused of harassing the minority Serb population.
With the rising tensions, The incident occurred on the evening of December 26 in Zubin Potok, where ethnic Serbs had been stationed at roadblocks for weeks.
Earlier on Monday, NATO-led peacekeepers said they were looking into a shooting in northern Kosovo and asked for calm.
