Serbs drop KSF due to Belgrade pressure

In fact, eight Serb members of the Kosovo Security Forces from the Gjilan region have put forward the demands for exits from this force, due to Serbia's growing threats and pressure on them, while in terms of these requirements, the Kosovo Security Forces Ministry will decide in the next six months.

Serbia's pressures on Serb KSF members have been frequented in recent months, initially with detentions at border crossings with Serbia, and then with statements by Serbian authorities that they were threatened with the sentence by 10 years due to participation in foreign armed formations.

Several incidents of Molotov cocktail attacks on the property of these members have also been recorded.

Deputy Minister of the Kosovo Security Forces Burim Ramadani tells Radio Free Europe that Serbia's pressures on Serb KSF members are increasing, especially from March of this year and that it has caused panic in some individuals. As he noted, the KSF is making efforts to remove such pressures, but, according to him, each can decide for himself. For this situation, Deputy Prime Minister Ramadani says, all international mechanisms, including NATO, have been announced.

It is quite clear that the demand for evacuation is linked directly to continued pressure on them and their families, which have taken place especially during the past few months. We're talking about KSF members who have served for the security of their own community and the KSF for years. It is a disaster Serbia's move against Kosovo Serbs and it is totally unacceptable this willful logic of reaction”, Ramadani said.

He adds that it is already clear that, as he has called them, Serbia's old policies are extremely painful to the integration of Serbs into Kosovo institutions and their trust in these institutions.

Deputy Prime Minister Ramadani also says that over 5 percent of members of the Kosovo Security Forces belong to the Serb community, and they, above all, serve security within their community, and then to the security of Kosovo and the region.

Randjel Nojik, political affairs analyst from the ranks of the Serb community, speaking of Radio Free Europe, stresses that he sees no difference between the Kosovo Police, in which the Serb community and the Kosovo Security Forces, which is still not an army.

If we have Serbs in the Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs, but even in the KSF Ministry, then I don't understand why Serbs are not allowed to be in those security forces. These are two comprehensive rails used for daily political themes. This situation puts Serbs in a completely inappropriate situation. On the one hand, there is pressure on Belgrade, with threats that they will be imprisoned when they leave Kosovo territory and on the other side, it is perfectly normal that they will have pressure on the part of Kosovo institutions alike, Nokjic points out.

But, according to him, Belgrade can again say that Serbs should be in this force.

If they're going to be security forces and if we say that the security of Serbs is in first place, then it's perfectly normal for Serbs to be there. But that will only happen when it needs someone in Belgrade for political office. On the contrary, those people will be left on the stihi”, Nojik said.

In February of this year, in Zubin Potok, this municipality in northern Kosovo has been viewed as posters, in which Serb members of the Kosovo Security Forces are openly threatened.

The posters were signed by the so-called “North weapon”, which has called for these Serb KSF members to be allowed to live and work in Zubin Potok and not be allowed to help Zubin Potok's municipality and its chairman”.

Also, in those posters, the names and surnames of many members of the Kosovo Security Forces have been listed, with the threat that neither Kosovo Police nor the municipality will be able to preserve.

Late last November, in Zubin Potok, the homes of two Serb KSF members have been launched. Meanwhile, in August last year, the attempt to burn a vehicle is also recorded, the personal property of a Serb member of KSF.

Kosovo Security Forces have 103 members from the Serb community.

Kosovo is learning to transform these forces into the Kosovo Army, but constitutional changes -- namely, the support of Serb deputies in the Kosovo Assembly, which for now -- are against the formation of this army.