According to Reuters, Kosovo police reported that earlier in the day one of its patrols near the Serbian border came under fire.

In early August, the Kosovo government decided to delay the introduction of new rules on the border with Serbia for a month, which caused tension in the north of the country, where checkpoints were set up and police came under fire.

The new rules require anyone entering Kosovo with a Serbian identity card to obtain a temporary document while in the country. Pristina also gave Kosovo Serbs two months to replace the Serbian license plates of their vehicles with those of the Republic of Kosovo.

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti explained that the measure is a response to a similar practice by Serbia, which does not recognize the independence of its former Albanian-majority province, proclaimed in 2008, against Kosovo residents arriving in its lands.

These measures have caused high tension in the northern part of Kosovo, where the Serb minority lives. At the time, Kosovo police said they had come under fire without harming anyone, and roadblocks had been set up on the roads leading into Serbia. Two crossings were closed to traffic.

It is worth noting that the Kosovo Serbs do not recognize either the authorities of Pristina or the independence of Kosovo and have retained their loyalty to Belgrade, on which they depend financially. In a July 31 address to the nation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the situation in Kosovo “has never been so difficult” for Serbia and the Serbs living there, stressing that “Serbia will win” if the Serbs are attacked.