NATO reinforces Kosovo after escalating tensions with Serbia

NATO has announced that it will deploy about 600 British troops to Kosovo to bolster its force deployed in the country under the name of the "KFOR" force to counter renewed tensions in the region.

NATO spokesman Dylan White said the UK was deploying around 200 troops to join a British contingent of 400 troops currently training in Kosovo, with additional reinforcements from other allies to follow.

For his part, the EU spokesman said that there will be a decision from member states in time on how the bloc responds to what happened in Kosovo on September 24, hinting at the bloc's readiness to impose sanctions on Serbia if it is found to be involved in the attack.

He said Kosovo police were in contact with EULEX to clarify the circumstances of what happened and those responsible for the attack.

Accusations of Serbs

Prime Minister Albin Kurti said yesterday that Serbs, who clashed with Kosovo security forces last week, had trained at a Serbian army base four days before the attack.

Kurti posted photos that he said showed training of the attacking group at Serbian military bases, accusing Belgrade of planning and supporting the attacks.

The Kosovo official said the attack was part of a grand plan to annex northern Kosovo to Serbia by attacking 37 locations and then creating a corridor to Serbia to enable it to supply weapons and troops.

In Belgrade, Serbian Army Chief of Staff Milan Mojiselovic confirmed that the number of his troops along the border with Kosovo has returned to normal, explaining that the number of soldiers has been reduced from 8,350 to 4,500.

Serbian Defense Minister Milov Vucevic has said that if the Serbian army receives an order from the president to attack Kosovo, it will carry out this task efficiently, professionally and successfully. Vucevic refused to accuse his country of planning to annex northern Kosovo.

The White House revealed on Friday that Serbia, which still refuses to recognize the independence declared in 2008 for the province, has deployed infantry and armored vehicles at the border after the recent clash in northern Kosovo.

On Sunday, a Kosovo police officer was killed in an ambush by a group of Serbs, followed by a shooting between police special forces and the armed group that killed three militants who had taken refuge in an Orthodox monastery in the village of Banjska, near the border.