Security forces have gathered around 30 armed men after a police officer was killed in Kosovo, according to the country’s prime minister.
Albin Kurti told the group to give up because they were hiding in a monastery in the village of Banjska.
Mr Kurti accused Serbia of supporting a “terrorist attack” that also hurt another officer.
The peacekeeping force from Nato in Kosovo has soldiers in the region and is ready to act if needed.
People in Kosovo have been very upset and angry after there were fights and arguments following a local election that people disagreed about.
Talks arranged by the European Union to calm down the situation have stopped progressing.
Kosovo became independent in 2008, but Serbia, along with China and Russia, doesn’t accept it.
Many people from Serbia believe that this place is where their nation originated. Out of the 1. 8 million people in Kosovo, 92% are Albanian and only 6% are Serb.
The shooting on Sunday happened around 3:00 am (1:00 am in the morning for the rest of the world). The police went to Banjska, which is close to the border with Serbia, where people had set up a blockade.
The police officers were assaulted by people firing many different guns, along with throwing hand grenades and shooting missiles, according to what they said in a message.
“We can see people with weapons wearing uniforms. they are shooting at us and we are shooting back,” said Veton Elshan, a Kosovo police official, speaking to AFP news agency on the phone from Banjska.
The Serbia Orthodox Church reported that armed individuals attacked a monastery in a village called Leposavic. Many people from a Serbian city called Novi Sad were visiting the monastery at the time.
The Diocese of Raska-Prizren stated that priests and pilgrims went inside the temple of the monastery to keep themselves safe. They also mentioned that they sometimes heard gunfire.
The prime minister blamed organized criminals for attacking our country, with political, financial, and logistical help from Belgrade.
Mr Kurti said that the people who committed the crime and the people who told them to do it would be punished.
Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani said that Serbian criminal gangs planned the incident. This incident attacked the law and order and went against Kosovo’s sovereignty.
She strongly criticized Serbia for attacking Kosovo, and asked its allies to help Kosovo in creating peace and stability.
Ms Osmani said that it is important for everyone to stay together and she believes in the police in Kosovo.
Serbia hasn’t said anything about what happened.
NATO peacekeepers in north Kosovo are prepared to help if needed and are actively trying to find a solution to the protests, according to KFOR.
The European Union’s head of foreign policy, Josep Borrell, strongly criticized a terrible attack and stated that those who are responsible for it should be punished by law.
This happened after the most recent discussions led by the EU fell apart last week. Borrell blamed Mr. Kurti for not establishing the association of municipalities with a majority of Serbs, which would give them more independence.
There was trouble in northern Kosovo in May because Kosovo Albanian mayors were put in charge of areas where most people are Serb. This happened because Serb residents chose not to participate in the local elections.
NATO sent 700 more soldiers to Kosovo to handle problems in the town of Zvecan after the elections.
About 30 peacekeepers from Nato and over 50 protesters from Serbia were injured during the resulting fights.