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John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council, reported the “unprecedented” deployment of artillery, tanks and infantry units “along the border with Kosovo.”
Published on 09/29/2023 22:03 Updated on 09/29/2023 22:03
Reading time: 1 min National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, September 13, 2023 at the White House in Washington (United States). (CELAL GUNES / ANADOLU AGENCY / AFP)
A worrying escalation. United States “call on Serbia to withdraw troops” massed on the border with Kosovo, declared a White House spokesperson on Friday September 29, while announcing a strengthening of the presence of the NATO force in Kosovo.
“We see a significant Serbian military deployment along the border with Kosovo”including the implementation “unprecedented” artillery, tanks and infantry units, said John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council. The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, called Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Friday to express his “concern” American and “highlight the need for an immediate reduction in tensions and a return to dialogue”, said the spokesperson. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
John Kirby did not wish to comment on the risk of a possible invasion of Kosovo, whose independence Serbia does not recognize. The region has been in the grip of very high tensions for several days. The spokesperson stressed that“due to recent developments, Kfor”the force deployed by NATO in this former Serbian province, “was going to increase its presence” in the north of the territory.
One of the most serious escalations in recent years
Serbia refuses to recognize the independence that its former southern province, with an Albanian majority, proclaimed in 2008, a decade after a deadly war between Kosovar independence guerrillas and Serbian forces.
A Kosovar Albanian police officer was killed Sunday in an ambush in northern Kosovo, where Serbs are the majority in several towns. A shootout ensued, between Kosovar police special forces and a heavily armed Serbian commando.
This is one of the most serious escalations to occur in Kosovo in recent years.
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2023-09-29 20:03:24
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