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Serbs: 'Where is K-For?'

As darkness fell in Pristina, the sound of shattering plate glass could be heard on the town's main street.

Kosovo Albanians, recently returned to the province, were breaking into a Serb-owned shoe shop.

The owner has now fled to Serbia proper.

People stepped through the remains of the window to carry away boxes of shoes; some hid their faces, as other Kosovo Albanians nearby shook their heads in disapproval.

A distressed Serbian woman watched it all and asked, "Where is K-For"?

A K-For patrol arrived minutes later, but too late to stop the emptying of the shop.

Over the next hour, several other stores were broken into. Canadian K-For troops told me they were not able to stop the widespread theft.

Largely under British control, Pristina has been peaceful until now, but the Serbian community has been sent into a state of panic by the killing of three teachers at the university here.

The sight of near anarchy and looting on the main street in Pristina will only increase their insecurity and renew the demands of Serb community leaders for Nato to do more to make them feel safe.

Relevant Stories

Cook: 'Let's break the cycle of violence' (23 Jun 99 | Europe)
Serbs 'killed in revenge attack' (23 Jun 99 | Europe)
Serb refugees return to Kosovo (22 Jun 99 | Europe)
Kosovo Serb activists jailed (22 Jun 99 | Europe)

Internet Links

Serbian Ministry of Information
Kosovo Crisis Centre
Nato

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