Sparked by the Albanian-dominated government as a power-grab in the Serb-majority north, the unrest in North Kosovo has convinced NATO to send another 700 armed peacekeepers to the territory.

Pristina aimed to start a trade war with Belgrade by taking over border posts previously manned by Kosovo Serbs and cutting off the flow of goods. An Albanian policeman was killed in the operation, and subsequent skirmishes between Kosovo and Serbian government police prompted NATO troops to seize the border posts. Locals then formed roadblocks to prevent Albanian police from being posted by NATO.

“We will not allow NATO to bring Kosovo (Albanian) police and customs to the border, but we will protect ourselves in a peaceful manner,” the mayor of the northern part of the divided city of Mitrovica told Reuters this weekend. The protesters are using vehicles, large logs, and tires to block the roads.