UN Kosovo mission launches probe into yesterday's
rioting in Mitrovica
JUNE 22 -- The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
said today it was pursuing an investigation into yesterday's rioting in
northern Mitrovica, where a crowd of Serbs had stoned and set fire to UN
police vehicles and scuffled with the police.
According to UNMIK, the riot followed an effort by a UN patrol to
arrest a group of Serbs who had been throwing stones at police cars. In
response, a crowd of some 300 to 400 Serbs turned violent and torched a
UN police car, prompting UN police and members of the KFOR security
force to fire warning shots. The UN police reported that shots had been
also fired by unidentified persons.
The crowd then began to throw stones and set fire to other vehicles,
and then moved on to the Albanian enclave in northern Mitrovica, UNMIK
said. Before calm was finally restored, five vehicles, including two
police cars, were completely destroyed, and ten other police cars
damaged. Nine UN police officers received minor injuries.
Document
compiled by Dr S D Stein