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White House warns of escalation between Kosovo and Serbia

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The White House is sounding the alarm over escalating tensions between Kosovo and Serbia after a series of violent clashes in the Balkans in recent months that threaten to spiral out of control.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Friday that a weekend shooting that left four people dead in northern Kosovo — where ethnic Serbs live — was “well coordinated and planned.” » and had not been carried out by a small isolated group.

Kirby said the attack, which killed three Serbs and a Kosovo police officer, involved 30 fighters, 20 SUVs and military-grade equipment.

“This is not the kind of attack that is carried out randomly, or in an ad hoc manner, or by a small group,” he told reporters in a conference call. “The quantities and types of weapons discovered represent a threat to the security of not only Kosovar personnel, but also international personnel, including NATO troops. »

He said Kosovo was conducting a thorough investigation into the incident and the United States hoped Pristina would get to the bottom of the incident.

“All those involved in planning and carrying out this attack must be brought to justice,” he added.

The White House spokesperson also said the United States and its Western allies were monitoring a “vast Serbian military deployment along the border with Kosovo, which includes an unprecedented display of advanced Serbian artillery, tanks and mechanized infantry units.

“We think this is a very destabilizing development,” he warned, emphasizing that the United States was working closely with its European allies to defuse tensions.

NATO, which acts as a peacekeeping force in Kosovo, is strengthen the presence of its troops in the Balkan country after Sunday’s shooting, which saw masked men hiding in a monastery and shooting at a police patrol.

Kosovo has accused Serbia of carrying out the attack. Belgrade has denied the accusations, but Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić called the gunmen heroes.

The country’s authorities also said they were investigating a potential Russian role, with Moscow allegedly trying to degrade the Balkans to distract from the war in Ukraine.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti welcomed the decision to send more NATO troops in an interview with The Associated Press.

“We need NATO because the border with Serbia is very long and the Serbian army has recently strengthened its capabilities and has a lot of military equipment from both the Russian Federation and the China,” he said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Belgrade has never recognized the separation.

The two countries went to war in the late 1990s after the breakup of the Republic of Yugoslavia and NATO led a bombing campaign to end the conflict.

Tensions flared again in May after ethnic Serbs in Kosovo boycotted local elections in the north, leading ethnic Albanian authorities to take power. This sparked more protests and the activation of NATO troops.

The United States, like Europe, has been trying for months to calm the conflict, in vain, but Washington seems increasingly concerned.

On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Vučić to ask for immediate de-escalation.

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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