US Condemns Violence Against NATO-Led KFOR Troops In Kosovo, Calls For De-Escalation

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 31st May, 2023) The United States condemns the recent violence against NATO-led KFOR troops in Kosovo and Metohija and calls on Prishtina and Belgrade to de-escalate tensions and refrain from further violence, the US State Department said.

"We call on all parties to take immediate actions to de-escalate tensions. The United States condemns the unacceptable violence yesterday against NATO-led KFOR troops, law enforcement and journalists," the State Department said in a press release on Tuesday.

The release also calls on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to withdraw the police forces from the areas in the north of Kosovo and Metohija where violence took place.

It also urges Serbian President Alexsander Vucic to lower the security status of the Serbian military and limit further challenges to KFOR in areas where Serbs are protesting ethnic Albanian mayors forcefully taking office in Serb-majority areas of Kosovo and Metohija.

"Prime Minister Kurti and his government should ensure that elected mayors carry out their transitional duties from alternate locations outside municipal buildings and withdraw police forces from the vicinity," the release said.

On Monday, hundreds of Serbs gathered outside local administration buildings in the municipalities of Zvecan, Leposavic and Zubin Potok, demanding the withdrawal of police and the removal of ethnic Albanian mayors, who took office and displaced the Serbian flags.

Troops from the KFOR mission equipped with crowd dispersal devices were also deployed in an apparent attempt to intimidate the protesters. The Kosovo police, consisting of Albanians, used tear gas to break up the protests and escort the mayors into the town halls.