2 RP peacekeepers wounded in Kosovo

MANILA, Philippines - Two Filipino peacekeepers deployed by the United Nations to Kosovo were injured in the violence that broke out in the volatile northern city of Mitrovica, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations reported on Tuesday.

The two are Philippine National Police officers and were among dozens of persons wounded in the riots early morning Monday shortly after UN and NATO peacekeepers stormed a UN court seized last week by Kosovo-Serbs.

Ambassador Hilario G. Davide, Jr., Philippine permanent representative to the UN, reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that the Philippine Mission is closely monitoring the situation in Kosovo and is in touch with Senior Supt. Dencio Duldulao, commander of the 40-member PNP Peacekeeping Contingent, and Supt. Romeo Pillonar, the senior PNP officer in Mitrovica.

Davide said the two injured officers, who are assigned to the Prisoner Escort Unit (PEU) of the Specialized Police Unit -under the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), were part of a three-vehicle convoy transporting detainees when they were blocked and attacked by an undetermined number of Serbs along St. Peter Street near the North Mitrovica police station at around 7 a.m. on Monday.

The two officers were dragged out of their vehicle by an undetermined number of Kosovo Serbs after they refused to release the detainees they were transporting. Reports said the mob was able to free 10 of the detainees.

The two officers, who sustained bruises and other injuries, were brought to a UN hospital where they were reported to be in stable condition.

A number of UN peacekeepers were injured when Serbs fought off with gunfire, grenades and stones UNMIK and NATO peacekeepers who stormed the UN court that was taken over last Friday by Serbs protesting the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence by the Kosovo Albanian majority.

Davide said that although 18 of the 40 PNP officers in Kosovo were sent to Mitrovica to augment UN police officers there, no Filipino was involved in the actual takeover of the UN court.

The Associated Press reported that hundreds of furious Serb protesters attacked international forces outside a UN courthouse in Kosovo, sparking an hours-long battle Monday with rocks, hand grenades and live ammunition.

At least 63 UN and NATO forces and 70 protesters were injured in the clashes in the divided northern town of Kosovska Mitrovica - the worst violence Kosovo has seen since it declared independence from Serbia a month ago.

UN police had stormed the courthouse just before dawn to arrest dozens of Serbs who had occupied it since Friday to protest against Kosovo's statehood.

As the UN police exited the building with the arrested demonstrators, they were met by a throng
of protesters who pelted them with rocks, Molotov cocktails and hand grenades.

Some demonstrators fired guns at the international forces.

The international forces - Polish, Ukrainian and Bulgarian members of the UN police mission and NATO troops backing them up - responded with tear gas, stun grenades and gunshots.

Witnesses said the protesters attacked three UN vehicles, pulling out and freeing about 20 of the 53 protesters arrested in the courthouse. – GMANews.TV, with reports from AP

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