As tensions grow, the US requests Serbia to withdraw its troops from the Kosovo border
The US is pleading with Serbia to reduce what it claims is a significant military buildup on its border with Kosovo.
Tensions between the majority Albanian and minority ethnic Serb communities in Kosovo have risen over the past few months.
The UK declared it was sending soldiers to assist NATO peacekeepers there in reaction to the "current situation".
Following an altercation at a monastery in the north last Sunday that resulted in four deaths, the military alliance declared that it was prepared to boost its forces.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, called the "large military deployment" of advanced tanks and artillery on Friday "a very destabilizing development."
"It's alarming. It appears to be more than just a group of individuals that came together to do this, according to Mr. Kirby.
"We are requesting that Serbia remove those troops from the border."
Why is Kosovo experiencing violence once more?
Kosovo and Serbia argue over a shooting in a monastery.
According to Mr. Kirby, the troop augmentation took place during the previous week, though its goal was not yet known.
He stated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had called Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to request "immediate de-escalation and a return to dialogue".
Albin Kurti, the prime minister of Kosovo, was also in contact with Jake Sullivan, the US national security adviser, according to Mr. Kirby.
While rejecting reports that his country's forces were on alert, Mr. Vucic has not explicitly disputed that there has been a recent buildup of troops.
I have refuted untruths where they refer to our forces' highest level of combat readiness because I did not sign them and because they are untrue, according to Mr. Vucic.
"We only have half the number of soldiers we did two or three months ago."
A Kosovan policeman and three cultural Serbian gunmen killed during a siege of a Serbian Orthodox monastery in Banjska village on Sunday, inflaming already-heightened tensions between the two nations.
The government of Kosovo charged Serbia with supporting the incident.
After admitting to organizing the armed organization, Milan Radoicic, vice president of Serb List, the major Kosovo-Serb political party, resigned on Friday. He, however, denied getting assistance from Belgrade.
The violent conflict comes after months of escalating tension between the two groups and represents one of the worst upheavals in Kosovo in years.
Kosovo, a former Yugoslavia province, sought independence after the dissolution of the state in the 1990s.
In retaliation, Serbia launched a harsh crackdown on ethnic Albanians.
This was resolved in 1999 when NATO bombed Serbia between March and June.
Although Serbian soldiers left Kosovo, the conflict hasn't been settled for many Kosovo Albanians and Serbs.
Although Kosovo proclaimed its independence in 2008, China and Russia, two of Belgrade's most important friends, do not.
It is regarded as the birthplace of the Serb people by many. The 1.8 million inhabitants of Kosovo are made up of 92% ethnic Albanians and 6% ethnic Serbs.
Nato leader Jens Stoltenberg declared on Thursday that he had "authorized additional forces to address the current situation" as tensions continued to grow.
NATO has increased its troop levels in the nation for the second time in three months.
Approximately 4,500 NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFor) personnel are currently deployed there.
The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Friday that KFor had access to a battalion of 500–650 soldiers.
The MoD stated that the troops had just arrived in the area for long-anticipated training.
