The US government claims to be observing a “large” Serbian military deployment on the border with Kosovo. This includes an “unprecedented” array of artillery and tanks, National Security Council Communications Director John Kirby said in Washington today. “We call on Serbia to withdraw these troops from the border.”
The U.S. government is concerned about the situation and has been monitoring it for about a week, Kirby said. He described the Serbian military presence on the border as “destabilising”. Currently, he cannot make any statement about intent. The Serbs are also being pressured through diplomatic channels to withdraw their troops.
Kosovo, which is now inhabited almost exclusively by Albanians, separated from Serbia in 1999 with the help of NATO and declared independence in 2008. More than 100 countries recognize independence, but not Serbia, which is regaining its former province.
Radoicic admits assault
Last Sunday, a 30-member group of Serbian commandos took up positions in the town of Banjska, near Mitrovica, and engaged in battles with Kosovo police. Three Serb attackers and a Kosovar police officer were killed.
Today, Kosovo Serb politician and businessman Milan Radoicic claimed responsibility for the attack. “I decided to do this because all the methods of resistance used so far have not brought any improvement in the lives of the Serbian people (in Kosovo, ed.),” he wrote in a statement that his lawyer read to the press in Belgrade today. It is unknown where Radoicic is currently staying.