Serbian troops on Kosovo border in state of ‘combat readiness’
Serbia's Defense Minister, center, speaks with Serbian army chief of staff, center left, at the army barracks in Raska, south Serbia, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022 (AP)
Serbia placed its security forces on the border with Kosovo, on Monday, in a “full state of combat readiness” according to senior officials, amid increasingly strained relations with Kosovo.
“Serbia’s president … ordered the Serbian army to be on the highest level of combat readiness, that is to the level of the use of armed force,” Serbia’s Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said in a statement.
Vucevic added that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also ordered the special armed forces to be increased from 1,500 to 5,000.
Serbia's Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic said he “ordered the full combat readiness” of police and other security units, adding that they will be placed under the army chief of staff's command according to “their operational plan”.
Gasic said in a statement that he acted on President Vucic's orders so that “all measures be taken to protect the Serbian people in Kosovo."
Vucic's orders come after Serbian army chief General Milan Mojsilovic was on Sunday dispatched to the border with Kosovo, though the reason for the new orders on the border were not immediately clear as Serbian troops have been on alert for a while on the border.
On Monday, the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) said they were looking into a shooting in the tense northern region of Kosovo and called for calm as Serbia’s top military officials inspected their forces on the border in a show of combat readiness.
The KFOR said the shooting took place near one of their patrols, involving unknown individuals. A statement said no one was injured and “we are working to establish all the facts”.
“It is important for all involved to avoid any rhetoric or actions that can cause tensions and escalate the situation,” KFOR stated.
“We expect all actors to refrain from provocative shows of force and to seek the best solution to ensure the safety and security of all communities.
According to agreements, Serbia can only deploy special police forces in Serb-majority areas with the permission of regional heads.