Kosovo denounces “attack” after canal explosion

An explosion on Friday damaged a vital canal for supplying water to two thermal power plants in Kosovo. Prime Minister Albin Kurti condemned a “terrorist attack” which he attributed to neighboring Serbia.

“This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at destroying our critical infrastructure,” the Prime Minister declared during a press conference called late Friday.

The explosion of the canal, which supplies water to two coal-fired power plants for their cooling systems, representing Kosovo’s main source of electricity, occurred near the town of Zubin Potok in the north of the country.

If the damage is not repaired, part of Kosovo risks being deprived of electricity as early as Saturday morning, the prime minister said.

He did not give details on the extent of the damage suffered by the canalwhich connects northern Kosovo, with a Serbian majority, to the capital Pristina, also partially supplied with drinking water by this canal. Images published by local media show a breach on one side of the canal from which water is flowing heavily.

Persistent tensions

Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have persisted since the war between Serbian forces and Kosovars in the late 1990s.

Kosovo declared its independence in 2008a decision that Serbia refuses to recognize.

Serbia has maintained so-called “parallel” public institutions in the Serbian areas of Kosovo, schools and hospitals. But the recent dismantling of these institutions by the Prime Minister’s government shook this system and reignited tensions.

Friday’s attack follows a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, where Serbs are the majorityincluding grenades thrown at a municipal building and a police station earlier this week. AFP requested a reaction from the Serbian government, which did not respond immediately. (ats/afp)

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