Serbian president Aleksander Vučić has ordered Serbia’s army to stay on full military alert after special forces of the Kosovan police were deployed in Kosovo’s northern Metohija region, near the Serbian border.
According to president Vučić, 28 people have been arrested, both ethnic Serbs and Albanians.
Speaking in a session of the Serbian parliament, Mr Vučić stated that Kosovo’s actions were an attempt to criminalise ethnic Serbs, emphasising that “the Serbian Army will protect the people” in case of a threat against Serbian nationals in the country.
The Kosovan police said the operation’s goal was to detain those associated with organised crime in the region, adding that they are in contact with Serbian authorities to settle the situation.