Kosovo: Turmoil in north, KFOR tries to block town

A Kosovo police checkpoint near Kosovska Mitrovica was blown up this morning, it has been confirmed. Local KIM radio says that the Jarinje point near the town, as well as the Brnjak administrative line crossing near Zubin Potok, were blown up. Kosovo: Turmoil in north, KFOR tries to block town Reports added that "several thousand Serbs in this way protested the ethnic Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence". A dozen Kosovo police vehicles were also set on fire, KIM reports. None of the officials or policemen employed at the checkpoints were hurt. A Serbian state flag was also hoisted at the crossing. KFOR and UMNIK blocked all access roads to Leposavic, also a town on the administrative boundary, with their vehicles. KFOR then used bulldozers to push soil onto the roads to physically block them. But the Serbs, who previously set Jarinja checkpoint on fire, also used bulldozers to clear the roadblock. Soldiers then stepped aside, so that no incidents occurred. The nearby KFOR Camp Notting Hill is secured by around ten armored vehicles, while helicopters fly over Leposavic. Beta news agency learned from Zubin Potok mayor Slavisa Ristic that the protests ended after 13:00 CET. He also explained the cause of the riots. Namely, local Serbs learned previously during the day that Albanian customs officers were coming to take over the boundary checkpoint, which caused their anger. He confirmed that checkpoints were burned, but said the protesters did not clash with KFOR. "KFOR has every right to be there according to Resolution 1244 and we have no problem with KFOR. But, if they once again try to impose some sort of institutions of a fake state, the citizens will certainly react once again," Ristic warned. He appealed on UNMIK and KFOR to protect the Kosovo Serbs from the Pristina authorities and to preserve peace in the province. A Kosovo police, KPS, spokesman said "Serbs burned down one border post and were attacking a second." Kosovo police manning the posts called for help from the NATO force, KFOR, which said it was stepping in, Reuters said. "Protesters have destroyed the border crossing post at Gate 1 in Jarinje," a Kosovo police spokesman said. "No one has been injured." Serbs were also attacking a second post near Zubin Potok, he said. Police took shelter in a tunnel there as more than 1,000 protesters tried to tear it down, Kosovo police sources said. "We asked NATO to send a helicopter to evacuate our officers," a police source told Reuters in Pristina. "We are inches from partition," a Western official was also quoted by the agency. He said he believed it was "only a matter of time before KFOR closes the bridges" that cross the River Ibar in the flashpoint city of Kosovska Mitrovica, dividing Kosovo Serbs from Albanians. A spokesman for the EU's International Civilian Office, whose Dutch leader Pieter Feith is expected in Kosovo any day, said there was no plan to withdraw a small advance EU team from the north side of Kosovska Mitrovica. "They would stay on and carry out their mandate," he told Reuters. The Kosovo police say that there are no incidents in other parts of the province. This comes after three explosions rattled northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvecan last night. No one was injured in the incidents. A Kosovo police spokesman confirmed that the blasts took place, one at the OSCE mission offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, that caused minor damage to the building and vehicles parked outside. The second explosion took place in another Serb town in the northern part of the province, Zvecan, when unknown perpetrators set two UN vehicles on fire. The third incident took place in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the neighborhood of Bosnjacka Mahala, when a device exploded in a yard, causing damage to a house, a garage and a private car. Unlike in the southern part of the town which is ethnic Albanian, the northern part, although predominantly Serb, also has Albanian and Bosniak residents, mostly in the Mahala area. But it was a Serb house that was damaged, while the garage and the car belong to an Albanian, reports say. Brnjak, the aftermath (Beta)

Kosovo: Turmoil in north, KFOR tries to block town

Reports added that "several thousand Serbs in this way protested the ethnic Albanians' unilateral declaration of independence".

A dozen Kosovo police vehicles were also set on fire, KIM reports. None of the officials or policemen employed at the checkpoints were hurt.

A Serbian state flag was also hoisted at the crossing.

KFOR and UMNIK blocked all access roads to Leposavić, also a town on the administrative boundary, with their vehicles.

KFOR then used bulldozers to push soil onto the roads to physically block them.

But the Serbs, who previously set Jarinja checkpoint on fire, also used bulldozers to clear the roadblock.

Soldiers then stepped aside, so that no incidents occurred.

The nearby KFOR Camp Notting Hill is secured by around ten armored vehicles, while helicopters fly over Leposavić.

Beta news agency learned from Zubin Potok mayor Slaviša Ristić that the protests ended after 13:00 CET. He also explained the cause of the riots.

Namely, local Serbs learned previously during the day that Albanian customs officers were coming to take over the boundary checkpoint, which caused their anger.

He confirmed that checkpoints were burned, but said the protesters did not clash with KFOR.

"KFOR has every right to be there according to Resolution 1244 and we have no problem with KFOR. But, if they once again try to impose some sort of institutions of a fake state, the citizens will certainly react once again," Ristić warned.

He appealed on UNMIK and KFOR to protect the Kosovo Serbs from the Priština authorities and to preserve peace in the province.

A Kosovo police, KPS, spokesman said "Serbs burned down one border post and were attacking a second."

Kosovo police manning the posts called for help from the NATO force, KFOR, which said it was stepping in, Reuters said.

"Protesters have destroyed the border crossing post at Gate 1 in Jarinje," a Kosovo police spokesman said. "No one has been injured." Serbs were also attacking a second post near Zubin Potok, he said.

Police took shelter in a tunnel there as more than 1,000 protesters tried to tear it down, Kosovo police sources said.

"We asked NATO to send a helicopter to evacuate our officers," a police source told Reuters in Priština.

"We are inches from partition," a Western official was also quoted by the agency.

He said he believed it was "only a matter of time before KFOR closes the bridges" that cross the River Ibar in the flashpoint city of Kosovska Mitrovica, dividing Kosovo Serbs from Albanians.

A spokesman for the EU's International Civilian Office, whose Dutch leader Pieter Feith is expected in Kosovo any day, said there was no plan to withdraw a small advance EU team from the north side of Kosovska Mitrovica.

"They would stay on and carry out their mandate," he told Reuters.

The Kosovo police say that there are no incidents in other parts of the province.

This comes after three explosions rattled northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica and Zvečan last night. No one was injured in the incidents.

A Kosovo police spokesman confirmed that the blasts took place, one at the OSCE mission offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, that caused minor damage to the building and vehicles parked outside.

The second explosion took place in another Serb town in the northern part of the province, Zvečan, when unknown perpetrators set two UN vehicles on fire.

The third incident took place in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the neighborhood of Bošnjačka Mahala, when a device exploded in a yard, causing damage to a house, a garage and a private car.

Unlike in the southern part of the town which is ethnic Albanian, the northern part, although predominantly Serb, also has Albanian and Bosniak residents, mostly in the Mahala area.

But it was a Serb house that was damaged, while the garage and the car belong to an Albanian, reports say.