December 19 (SeeNews) - NATO-led international peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR) said it has increased its presence in Jarinje, at the border with Serbia, for preventive security reasons, amid protests by ethnic Serbs in the northern part of Kosovo.
"This increase is due to the alleged possible presence of organized criminal groups within the protestors," KFOR said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Ethnic Serbs have been protesting in the northern part of Kosovo for over a week, demanding the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities, as agreed by the governments of Kosovo and Serbia in 2013. Tensions have been running high in the northern part of Kosovo after a new directive for vehicle owners to replace Serbian licence plates with Kosovar ones came into force on November 1.
Earlier during the protests, a stun grenade was thrown at a reconnaissance patrol of the EU rule of law mission in Kosovo (EULEX Kosovo) near Rudare, a village close to the border with Serbia. No EULEX Formed Police Unit (FPU) officer was injured, and no material damage was caused in the attack.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
KFOR is a NATO-led international peacekeeping force deployed to Kosovo since 1999. The mission currently encompasses approximately 3,600 troops provided by 28 countries.
On Thursday, Kosovo submitted its application to join the European Union.