News - Kosovo clashes ‘ethnic cleansing’
The Nato commander in overall charge of Kosovo has likened the recent violence in the province - in which at least 28 people have died - to ethnic cleansing. Admiral Gregory Johnson said almost 1,000 Serbs had been driven from their homes after attacks by ethnic Albanians It is the worst outbreak of violence since Nato forces entered Kosovo in 1999 to end years of ethnic unrest.
Meanwhile, adult agency dating in online uk ‘Attempted pogrom’ Admiral Johnson also said he believed that some of the trouble had been orchestrated. He added that Nato peacekeepers were investigating whether the violence had been organised by ethnic Albanian militants.
Click here to see a map of Mitrovica
Serbia has also has accused both the UN and Nato of failing to protect Kosovo’s Serbs. On Friday UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the decision to send Nato reinforcements had been taken in view of the worsening security situation since trouble erupted earlier in the week. UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that the reinforcement troops’ presence “is being felt” and, while there have been reports of more clashes and looting, most incidents have been on a smaller scale compared to earlier in the week. Fear and 100 dating free internet online Ethnic dating, BBC correspondent Nick Thorpe says the atmosphere in the flashpoint town of Mitrovica - where violence began on Wednesday - remains one of fear and apprehension.
Groups of Serbs have gathered near each of the three bridges which span the River Ibar which Nato peacekeepers have blocked off. Their numbers could swell in a matter of moments if there is any sign of attack from the Albanian side, our correspondent says. However, despite occasional shots and explosions there has been no repeat of the violence, although some Serbs admit to having guns which they say they will use if necessary to defend their part of the city, our correspondent adds. Initial reports said 31 people had been killed in the two days of clashes. ‘Sniper attack’ Trouble first erupted in the divided city of Mitrovica after the deaths by drowning of two Albanian children, which were blamed on members of Kosovo’s small Serbian minority.
Mobs of angry Albanians set alight Serbian Orthodox churches and Serb-owned homes across Kosovo on Thursday. On Friday Nato troops in Mitrovica shot and killed a sniper who fired at peacekeepers from a block of flats chiefly housing ethnic Albanians in the northern half of the town, Nato spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jim Moran said. Reports quoting Serbian sources said the sniper was ethnic Albanian. Earlier French forces searched blocks of flats near the river Ibar early in pursuit of gunmen after reports of attacks overnight. “The situation is calm but very volatile, very fragile and could escalate any minute,” one French officer told the Associated Press. In Serbia itself on Friday thousands of people demonstrated peacefully in central Belgrade following a government call to show solidarity with Serbs living in Kosovo. Carrying Serbian flags, pictures of Kosovo monasteries and religious icons, the crowds chanted “We’re not giving Kosovo away” and “Kosovo is Serbia”. Peacekeepers sent The first extra contingent of 750 ethnic dating soldiers being sent by the UK arrived in the region’s capital Pristina overnight. Germany’s Defence Minister Peter Struck said on Friday that a further 600 peacekeepers were being sent to join German forces in Kosovo, with deployment starting on Saturday. France also says it is sending about 400 more troops immediately. Denmark has pledged 100 more.
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