Tensions rise in northern Kosovo, Serbia puts army on alert - Reuters

MITROVICA, Kosovo, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Protesting Serbs successful the ethnically divided metropolis of Mitrovica successful bluish Kosovo erected caller barricades connected Tuesday, hours aft Serbia said it had enactment its service connected the highest combat alert pursuing weeks of escalating tensions betwixt Belgrade and Pristina.

Serbia's defence ministry said successful a connection precocious connected Monday that successful effect to the latest events successful the portion and its content that Kosovo was preparing to onslaught Serbs and forcefully region the barricades, President Aleksandar Vucic had ordered Serbia's service and constabulary to beryllium enactment connected the highest alert.

"There is nary crushed to panic, but determination is crushed to beryllium concerned," Serbia's defence curate Milos Vucevic told RTS tv precocious connected Monday.

Since Dec. 10, Serbs successful bluish Kosovo person erected aggregate roadblocks successful and astir Mitrovica and exchanged occurrence with constabulary aft the apprehension of a erstwhile Serb policeman for allegedly assaulting serving constabulary officers during a erstwhile protest.

Around 50,000 Serbs unrecorded successful the bluish portion of Albanian-majority Kosovo and garbage to recognise the Pristina authorities oregon the state. They spot Belgrade arsenic their superior and are backed by Serbia, from which Kosovo declared independency successful 2008.

"Kosovo cannot prosecute successful dialog with transgression gangs and state of question should beryllium restored. There should not beryllium barricades connected immoderate road," the Kosovan authorities said successful a connection connected Monday.

It added constabulary had the capableness and readiness to enactment but were waiting for NATO's KFOR Kosovo peace-keeping force, which maintains a neutral role, to respond to their petition to region the barricades.

"We impulse each sides to assistance alteration information and state of question successful Kosovo, and forestall misleading narratives from affecting the dialog process," KFOR said successful a statement.

In Mitrovica connected Tuesday greeting trucks were parked to artifact the roadworthy linking the Serb-majority portion of the municipality with the Albanian-majority part.

The section Serbs are demanding the merchandise of the arrested serviceman and person different demands earlier they volition region the barricades.

Ethnic Serb mayors successful bluish municipalities, on with section judges and immoderate 600 constabulary officers, resigned past period successful protestation implicit a Kosovo authorities determination to regenerate Serbian-issued car licence plates with ones issued by Pristina.

Reporting by Fatos Bytyci and Ivana Sekularac, Editing by Alexandra Hudson

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