A Kosovo Police Officer Killed in Attack by Masked Gunmen; Tensions with Serbia Rise

Kosovo's Prime Minister said on Sunday that a police officer was killed and another was injured in an attack by masked gunmen. The attack occurred in a village 55 kilometers north of Kosovo's capital. According to the Associated Press, the Prime Minister attributed the attack to support from neighboring Serbia. This incident is expected to escalate tensions between the two former wartime adversaries, especially with Kosovo's accusations against Serbia. The attack comes at a sensitive time as the European Union is trying to facilitate negotiations to normalize relations between the two. Kosovo police announced on Facebook that three of the attackers were also killed. Serbia and its former province, Kosovo, have had disputes for decades. The war from 1998-1999 resulted in over 10,000 deaths, most of whom were ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade has refused to recognize it. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, condemned the attack on Kosovo police officers. Earlier this year, following ethnic clashes between NATO peacekeepers and Serbs residing in northern Kosovo, the NATO military alliance announced it would send an additional 700 soldiers to help end violent protests in northern Kosovo. These clashes occurred after the election of ethnic Albanian mayors in the Serb-majority region of northern Kosovo.