Over 20 Hungarians Injured in Clashes in Kosovo, Seven of Them Seriously
© AP Photo / Bojan SlavkovicPolish soldiers, part of the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo KFOR guard a municipal building in the town of Zvecan, northern Kosovo
© AP Photo / Bojan Slavkovic
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BUDAPEST (Sputnik) - More than 20 Hungarians from NATO's KFOR contingent were injured in clashes in the north of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo, seven of them seriously, Hungarian Defense Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said.
Szalay-Bobrovniczky also said the injured Hungarian soldiers were being airlifted to Hungary for treatment.
"Hungarian soldiers are part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, KFOR. Soldiers of the Hungarian army participating in the NATO peacekeeping forces were given the task of dispersing the crowd in the locality of Zvecan in Kosovo. Soldiers of different nationalities were also injured in the clash. According to information available at the moment, among them there are more than 20 Hungarian soldiers, seven of whom were [injured] seriously, but their condition is stable," Szalay-Bobrovniczky wrote on Facebook*.
On Saturday, Serbia's National Security Council condemned NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) for standing by while Kosovar police used force to install new Albanian mayors in Serb-majority northern provinces. Later in the day, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said the Serbian army was deploying its units near Kosovo in anticipation of provocations.
On Monday, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs came to local administration buildings demanding the withdrawal of Kosovar police and officials. The KFOR mission's troops, equipped with crowd dispersal devices, were deployed in the municipalities of Zvecan, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok.
At least 52 Serbs have been injured during the clashes in Kosovo, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said. Media reported that at least 41 soldiers of the KFOR contingent also received injuries in clashes, with the mission itself confirming 25 injuries.
*Facebook and its parent company Meta are banned in Russia for extremist activities.