Demonstrators in northern Kosovo clashed on Monday evening with forces from the NATO-led international peacekeeping force Kfor.
Around 25 Kfor soldiers have been injured and NATO condemns what the organization calls an attack.
The unrest broke out when ethnic Serbs tried to enter an office belonging to a newly elected mayor in the town of Zvecan. Among other things, they have used tear gas and bottles against the Kfor force.
“When the soldiers were confronted with the most active elements of the group, several of the Italian and Hungarian Kfor soldiers were injured in a series of unprovoked attacks. They suffered fractures and burns after incendiary bombs exploded,” Kfor writes in a statement.
“Totally unacceptable”
In a separate written statement, NATO condemns the events:
“These attacks are completely unacceptable. The violence must stop immediately. We ask all parties to start a dialogue and avoid actions that could make the situation even more tense.”
The protesters gathered in the early morning with the goal of entering the building. During the day, they were repulsed by the police after they threw paving stones and petrol bombs. When the demonstrators returned to the same place in the early evening, the police were helped by Kfor soldiers.
The ethnic Serbs are demanding the immediate withdrawal of Kosovo Police forces and the removal of the appointed mayors of four towns in northern Kosovo.
Troubled during the weekend
The mayors were elected in April in elections that the Kosovo Serbs boycotted and only 3.4 percent of the population cast their votes.
Police used tear gas against protesters and several cars were set on fire on Friday, as protests flared up in connection with the swearing in of the new mayor of Zvecan. Disturbances have also been reported during the weekend.
Serbia announced on Friday that it is increasing military preparedness on the border with Kosovo, but Defense Minister Milos Vucevic stated on Monday that the military is scaling back its efforts. At the same time, he criticized Kfor, saying that it only protects the police in Kosovo.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia has not accepted the breakaway. In the Serb-dominated northern part of Kosovo, opposition to the central government is strong.