KFOR troops remove barricade in northern Kosovo

ZVECAN KFOR troops removed concrete barricades from the Pristina-Raska road in the village of Rudare early on Thursday. The barricades were set up by Serbs several days ago and it took KFOR three and a half hours to remove them, Tanjug has reported. KFOR troops remove barricade in northern Kosovo There were no incidents during the removal of the barricade. All roads leading to Rudare were blocked during the operation. After they removed the barricade, the KFOR troops returned to their base in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica. Zvecan Mayor Dragisa Milovic talked to KFOR commanders who told him that they respected peaceful protests but that they believed that barricades could not be constantly placed on the roads. KFOR removed the concrete blocks by using heavy machines and a large number of fully equipped troops were present at the scene. Milovic told Beta news agency that KFOR’s operation was “shameful, unfathomable and a real demonstration of force”. “Traffic in Zvecan was blocked for almost three and a half hours and the reason for that was the removal of blocks in Rudare, according to a U.S. KFOR lieutenant,” he said and noted that “there was no reason to use that many troops and so much force and deprive citizens of their freedom of movement because of the operation”. “This does not contribute to the population’s trust in KFOR, this is not their mandate,” Milovic said and stressed that the “people are disappointed because KFOR is a peace, not an occupation mission”. The traffic returned to normal after KFOR had removed the roadblocks. Serbs placed concrete blocks on the road several days ago in order to prevent Kosovo customs and border police officers from reaching the Jarinje administrative crossing. (B92, file) Beta Tanjug

KFOR troops remove barricade in northern Kosovo

There were no incidents during the removal of the barricade. All roads leading to Rudare were blocked during the operation.

After they removed the barricade, the KFOR troops returned to their base in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.

Zvečan Mayor Dragiša Milović talked to KFOR commanders who told him that they respected peaceful protests but that they believed that barricades could not be constantly placed on the roads.

KFOR removed the concrete blocks by using heavy machines and a large number of fully equipped troops were present at the scene.

Milović told Beta news agency that KFOR’s operation was “shameful, unfathomable and a real demonstration of force”.

“Traffic in Zvečan was blocked for almost three and a half hours and the reason for that was the removal of blocks in Rudare, according to a U.S. KFOR lieutenant,” he said and noted that “there was no reason to use that many troops and so much force and deprive citizens of their freedom of movement because of the operation”.

“This does not contribute to the population’s trust in KFOR, this is not their mandate,” Milović said and stressed that the “people are disappointed because KFOR is a peace, not an occupation mission”.

The traffic returned to normal after KFOR had removed the roadblocks.

Serbs placed concrete blocks on the road several days ago in order to prevent Kosovo customs and border police officers from reaching the Jarinje administrative crossing.