Tensions escalate as gunmen clash with police in Kosovo monastery siege

Kosovo and Serbia are engaged in a dispute over a deadly confrontation between ethnic Serb gunmen and police in northern Kosovo. One policeman and three gunmen were killed during a siege of a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Kosovo's Prime Minister accused Serbia of supporting the armed group, while the Serbian President blamed Kosovo officials for the deaths. The clash marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two sides, following months of mounting hostility. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, but Serbia and its allies China and Russia do not recognize it.