Ethnic Tensions Renewed: NATO Deploys More Troops to Kosovo Following Violent Protests by Serbian Minority

NATO will deploy 700 additional troops to northern Kosovo where clashes between ethnic Serbs and NATO peacekeeping forces left 30 soldiers injured.
Protests erupted after ethnic Albanian officials took office in municipalities dominated by Kosovo's Serb minority, who view themselves as part of Serbia and reject Kosovo's independence.
The United States and European Union recognize Kosovo as an independent nation, while Serbia, Russia and China do not, fueling tensions in the region.
NATO has had peacekeeping forces in Kosovo since the Kosovo War ended in 1999, but violence periodically flares between ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo.
International officials hope renewed dialogue can ease tensions, but Serbia has warned it will not stand by if violence against ethnic Serbs in Kosovo continues.