NATO-led KFOR troops on May 29 moved to disperse Serbian demonstrators who had ignored warnings to move away from the municipal headquarters in Zvecan as violent clashes broke out in the standoff between local ethnic Serbs and ethnic Albanian authorities, leading to dozens of injuries among troops and protesters.

“You are causing unrest. You are putting yourself and your community at risk. Leave the area and go home — otherwise, KFOR will be forced to intervene,” an audio warning from the KFOR contingent blared out to protesters before plumes of smoke engulfed the area.

RFE/RL journalists on the scene reported that many in the crowd sat down as KFOR troops moved to push them away. Tear gas was spotted and shock bombs exploded, although video showed that at least some of them came from the demonstrators.

Protesters were also seen throwing stones and bottles at KFOR troops. NATO officials said about two dozen KFOR soldiers were injured in the unrest.

“While countering the most active fringes of the crowd, several soldiers of the Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent were the subject of unprovoked attacks and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns due to the explosion of incendiary devices,” KFOR said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Twitter that 11 Italian soldiers were injured, three seriously, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attacks on KFOR troops.

Hungary’s Defense Minister said that more than 20 Hungarian soldiers were injured.

Zvecan, a town of some 16,500 people, is one of three hotspots in northern Kosovo where authorities from Pristina have attempted to install ethnic-Albanian mayors following boycotted elections that raised the ire of the local ethnic-Serb communities and neighboring Serbia.