At least 25 NATO KFOR peacekeepers from Italy and Hungary were injured, three critically, during clashes with ethnic Serb demonstrators that were violently protesting mayoral election results that put ethnic Albanian candidates into office.

The NATO troops were acting as riot police when they were targeted with incendiary and improvised explosives, resulting in blast and burn injuries among the ranks.

Although they are a majority of the population, the Serbs boycotted the election, and are now opposed to the Albanian electees. The ethnic strife dates back over a hundred years, but more recently in 1999, Albanian separatists declared independence from Serbian rule, which resulted in a Serbian crackdown against ethnic Albanians, resulting in over 10,000 deaths.

NATO became involved to thwart a supposed genocide against the Albanians, and a NATO bombing campaign pushed the Serbs out of contested Albanian areas. The US and many Western states acknowledge Kosovo as its own independent country, while Russia, China, and the Serbs do not.

About the Author

Will Killmore

Will Killmore is a US Army combat infantry veteran and Purple Heart recipient. He has deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with the 172nd Stryker Brigade and 173rd Airborne Brigade. Following his time in service, he successfully pursued a certificate of journalism and has been a blogger for Funker530 since 2014. Follow Will’s bad takes on Twitter