The new tensions in northern Kosovo risk precipitating the situation in the heart of the Balkans, with the ethnic conflict which yesterday recorded a worrying escalation which resulted in violent clashes between soldiers of the KFOR (the NATO force) and Serbian demonstrators who oppose the new mayors of Albanian ethnicity entered service in the four major municipalities in the north with a Serb majority.
Serious incidents took place in Zvecan , where the KFOR soldiers confronted the Serbian demonstrators who had been besieging the town hall for hours to prevent the new Albanian mayor from taking office.
In the harsh clashes, the military made extensive use of truncheons, tear gas and deafening bombs, while the Serbs responded with a heavy throwing of stones, bottles, Molotov cocktails and other objects . The toll is very heavy, with dozens of NATO soldiers injured, 14 of whom are Italians , from the 9th L'Aquila Alpine Regiment.
At first there was talk of 41 soldiers involved but in the evening the KFOR command reported 34 wounded soldiers of various nationalities. Three of our compatriots suffered fairly serious injuries - mostly burns from the Molotov cocktails and fractures - but they are not life threatening.
The commander of the KFOR mission, the Italian general Angelo Michele Ristuccia , expressing his solidarity with the wounded soldiers, said he is following the evolution of the situation firsthand and assured that the NATO contingent remains "impartial".
Giorgia Meloni - who condemned the attack as "unacceptable and irresponsible", warning that no other actions of the kind will be tolerated , the ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, expressed the closeness of the institutions to the wounded soldiers and best wishes for a speedy recovery.
«It is essential - Meloni underlined - to avoid further unilateral actions by the Kosovar authorities and . The Italian government's commitment to peace and stability in the Western Balkans is maximum and we will continue to work with our allies".
