In recent months Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has ratcheted up tensions with its ethnic Serbs in the disputed province, igniting fears of a renewed war as NATO announced troop increases for its peacekeeping force.
Just over a week ago, a deadly 12-hour gun battle at a Kosovo monastery — just the latest instance of ethnic turmoil escalating to violence in the region.
But in recent months Kurti has taken steps targeting the 50,000 Serbs living in the northern portion of the province. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack or explained the motives of the gunmen, who locked themselves inside the monastery with priests and visiting pilgrims. On Sunday Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic posted a video on Instagram denying the claims his military was massing on the border.Kosovo, once a historic Serb province that declared its independence in 2008, has been at odds with Serbia for decades. The 1998 war left more than 10,000 people dead, mostly Albanians in Kosovo.While many Serbs consider Kosovo the birthplace of their nation, of the 1.8 million people who live in Kosovo, 92% are Albanian and only 6% are Serbian.
In June, 700 troops were sent from Turkey after dozens of KFOR personnel were hurt, many badly, in riots in northern Kosovo.
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