Serbia Deploying Army Units Near Kosovo Border - Defense Minister

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2023) Serbia's army is sending troops toward the Kosovo border on the back of a new episode of escalation, Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the Serbian National Security Council condemned the NATO-led peacekeeping force, KFOR, for standing idly by as the Kosovo police used force to install ethnic Albanian mayors in Serb-majority northern provinces.

"The Serbian army is deploying its units in the direction of the administrative border, and we expect them to take up their positions in coming hours. We do not want to play any war games, but the red lines for Serbia are well-known.

The deployment of units is now taking place in accordance with the current situation, and they will further stay in their positions," the minister was quoted by the Vecernje novosti newspaper as saying.

Serbia, which never recognized Kosovo's independence and continues to refer to it as its Kosovo and Metohija province, put its armed forces on full combat alert following the storming of municipal offices in northern Kosovo on Friday after the Kosovo police used tear gas to break up peaceful demonstrations staged by ethnic Serbs to protest the outcome of the April 23 elections. The polls were boycotted by ethnic Serbs and declared valid despite the 3.5% turnout.