MITROVICA, Kosovo — Serbs on Tuesday putup more obstructions in northern Kosovo and defied global needs to getridof those put earlier, a day after Serbia put its soldiers near the border on a high level of battle preparedness.
The brand-new barriers, made of greatly packed trucks, were put up overnight in Mitrovica, a northern Kosovo town divided inbetween Kosovo Serbs and ethnic Albanians, who represent the bulk in Kosovo as a entire.
It was the veryfirst time because the current crisis began that Serbs have obstructed streets in one of the primary towns. Until now, barriers hadactually been set on roadways leading to the Kosovo-Serbia border.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stated he purchased the army’s greatest state of alert to “protect our individuals (in Kosovo) and maintain Serbia.”
He declared that Pristina is preparing to “attack” Kosovo Serbs in the north of the nation and getridof by force anumberof of the obstructions that Serbs began putting up 18 days ago to demonstration the arrest of a previous Kosovo Serb authorities officer.
On Tuesday, Vucic attendedto pressreporters together with Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, who was disallowed by Kosovo authorities on Monday from goinginto Kosovo and checkingout a middleages Serb church there priorto Serbian Orthodox Christmas, which is wellknown on Jan. 7.
In his typical way, Vucic blasted the West and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian authorities of outlining together to “trigger discontent and kill the Serbs” who are manning the barriers.