Police officer injured in attack on EU, Kosovo police

(KOSOVSKA MITROVICA) - A policewoman was injured Friday in northern Kosovo as unknown attackers opened fire at vehicles carrying EU and Kosovo police, officials said.

Ethnic tension in the majority-Serb north of Kosovo has been high since Serb protesters clashed with NATO-led troops last year and there have been several attacks on Kosovo police and international troops.

A Kosovo policewoman was admitted to a hospital in northern Mitrovica, a doctor told AFP, adding that she was injured by breaking glass during the attack.

EULEX, the EU mission launched to help bolster Kosovo's legal system and help police, said several EULEX police officers were travelling to Zubin Potok to carry out their normal duties at the local police station when the attack happened, while the Kosovo police vehicle was escorting them.

Masked gunmen appeared appeared on the road between Zupce and Zubin Potok and opened fire on the cars, EULEX said in a statement.

According to a local resident, the shooting happened Friday late morning near the village of Varage, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) southwest of the flashpoint town of Mitrovica.

The EU special representative for Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar, and the head of EULEX, Xavier de Marnhac, have strongly condemned the shooting incident, the statement said.

"I thoroughly condemn this act of wanton violence," Zbogar was quoted as saying. He also called for "greater rule of law" in the north.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since won recognition from around 90 countries, including most of EU members and the United States.

But Belgrade and the Kosovo Serb community still consider the territory as Serbia's southern province and do not recognise the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina.

Serbia's top official for Kosovo, Aleksandar Vulin, was due to visit Serb enclaves in southern Kosovo Friday but cancelled his visit over the incident and scheduled an emergency meeting with Kosovo Serb officials in the north instead, Beta news agency reported.

The attack came days before Kosovo is due to acquire full sovereignty when the 25-nation International Steering Group (ISG) formally ends its supervision of the territory at its final meeting in Pristina on Monday.