Kosovo Serbs clash with NATO troops

  • 12 years ago
Clashes break out between Kosovo Serbs and NATO peacekeepers Tuesday - injuring at least ten people at a disputed border crossing.
Eyewitness said NATO troops used tear gas and rubber bullets to break up a crowd of protesters rallying against a Serb-run barricade near a border crossing linking Kosovo with Serbia.
Six Kosovo Serbs were injured.
NATO officials said peacekeepers responded in self-defense after Kosovo Serbs threw pipe bombs and stones at the checkpoint 60 miles north of of the Serbian capital city Pristina. Four NATO soldiers were injured after pipe bomb exploded.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but the almost 60,000 Serbs living in northern Kosovo still consider the Serbian city Belgrade their capital.
Serbia - which opposes Kosovo's independence - has repeatedly warned that taking over contested crossings could lead to more clashes.
Tuesday's clashes came as Serbian and Kosovo officials plan meet in Brussels - under European Union supervision.
Sarah Irwin, Reuters.

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