Bentler: Violence possible in Kosovska Mitrovica
Outgoing KFOR Commander Gen. Markus Bentler said on Wednesday that violence is possible between Serbs and ethnic Albanians.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Thursday, August 26, 2010
He specified that this could occur in northern and southern parts of the ethnically divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica.
Violence is possible due to different political views on Kosovo, he told reporters.
"If one looks at the statistics on armed incidents, it is clear that they are linked with the unresolved issue, and this makes a few people react with violence," said Bentler.
Bentler's one-year mandate as the NATO-led force's commander expires next month.
At his farewell press conference in Pristina, the German general said that KFOR will focus its activities on northern Kosovo, and urged everyone in Kosovo to refrain from violence regardless of political processes.
The northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica is predominantly inhabited by Serbs, along with Bosniak and Albanian neighborhoods, while no Serbs live in the southern, ethnic Albanian part of the town.
