Kosovo-Serbia tensions flare after weekend attack

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Police in Kosovo respond to an attack by Serbs in the country’s north. Associated Press/Photo by Visar Kryeziu

Kosovo-Serbia tensions flare after weekend attack

Police in northern Kosovo on Monday searched for a group of ethnic Serb gunmen who stormed a village on Sunday and barricaded themselves in an Orthodox monastery. The gunmen killed one Kosovar police officer and local authorities killed three Serb attackers during the altercation. Authorities in Kosovo said some of the gunmen may have escaped into neighboring Serbia. Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti on Monday claimed Serbia supported the attackers, while Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said his country was not involved in the siege.

What led to the tension in the region? Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, though Serbia does not recognize it as a nation. About 50,000 ethnic Serbs in the country’s northern region also reject Kosovo statehood and have sought to create an association of majority-Serb municipalities. NATO keeps 3,700 peacekeeping troops in Kosovo to intervene in conflicts.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s report on a 2020 agreement between Serbia and Kosovo.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.