There was great confusion over the move of Serbs to cut ties...at first, the news came out that the Serbs were going to cut ties with the UN mission...but according to the Serbs in northern Kosovo, it is only with the Kosovo government. The Serbs say that they are cutting ties with the local government due to recent ethnic violence that they blame on Albanians. All teachers and municipal employees are to give up their wages from the Kosovo government, they still are receiving wages from Belgrade. Further, a state of emergency has been declared in four municipalities in northern Kosovo where there have been several recent attacks against Serbs. On the 2nd, a 22-year-old Serbian was gunned down in an ambush as he was returning home from a party. International Herald Tribune carried an article about the split while Southeastern European Times carries information about the reasons behind the move.
The UNMIK police commissioner has deployed 500 international police officers to the area north of Mitrovica in response to the accusations of the population and the recent violence. KPS has also increased their numbers in the area.
