KFOR about the incident in Zubin Potok: It happened by unknown and armed persons

Shots were fired last night near KFOR patrol in northern Kosovo.

KFOR confirmed last night that it “heard and saw” gunfire near one of its patrols in Zubin Potok – one of the four Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo.

NATO’s mission in Kosovo announced in a response to the Telegrafi that it was investigating the incident, and confirmed that the same thing happened by unknown armed persons.

“KFOR is investigating an indirect fire incident that occurred on December 25 near the NATO KFOR patrol. The incident involving unknown armed persons occurred in the Zubin Potok area. There are no casualties or property damage and work is underway to clarify all the facts,” KFOR’s response reads.

KFOR has stressed that it is important for the parties to avoid any rhetoric that could cause tensions and escalate the situation.

“As meetings are scheduled between all parties, it is important that all involved avoid any rhetoric or actions that could create tension and escalate the situation. We expect all actors to refrain from provocative demonstrations of violence and seek the best solution to ensure the safety of all communities. We call on all parties to help ensure freedom of movement in Kosovo and to prevent misleading narratives from influencing the dialogue process,” they said.

#KFOR is investigating an indirect fire incident on 25 December in the close proximity of a @NATO_KFOR patrol. The incident involved unknown armed people in the Zubin Potok area. pic.twitter.com/1FsznDeWae

— @NATO – KFOR (@NATO_KFOR) December 26, 2022

KFOR added that the commander of this NATO-led mission continues to support the dialogue to find an agreement to reduce tensions in northern Kosovo, stressing that “it remains in close contact with all parties involved in this process.”

“KFOR has increased its presence and patrols in recent months. We remain vigilant and fully capable of fulfilling our mandate under Resolution 1244 of 1999 for all communities in Kosovo. Solutions must be sought through dialogue,” concluded in response.

Serbian media reported Sunday evening that gunfire was heard around 7:45 p.m. in Zubin Potok and that the shooting occurred after Kosovo Police tried to “remove one of the barricades” in that northern Kosovo community.

However, the Kosovo Police has denied reports by the Serbian media that it was involved in the exchange of fire in Zubin Potok.

“There was neither an attack on the Kosovo Police nor an exchange of fire between the Kosovo Police or any group. The Kosovo Police did not exchange fire with anyone,” the press release said.

Besides attacking #Kosovo #Police, now #Serb criminals in the north of #Kosova supported by #Russians have attacked the #Latvian unit of @NATO_KFOR. Few minutes ago, Serb media reported that allegedly the Kosovo Police is attacking Serbs in the north.

— Agim Musliu (@agim_musliu) December 25, 2022

Groups of Serb citizens in the north erected barricades as early as Dec. 10 to oppose the arrest of former Serb policeman Dejan Pantic by the Kosovo Police.

He was arrested on suspicion of attacking members of the Central Election Commission in the north.

Authorities in Kosovo said they were able to remove the barricades erected in the north, but had given the NATO mission KFOR time to convince the local population to remove them themselves. /The Geopost/