The paramedic, who gave his name as Vitali, and who was working with a crew in Jagnjenica, told Balkan Insight that most injuries had been caused by the use of pepper spray by NATO peacekeepers in KFOR.

KFOR Reaction “[The] situation at all barricades is under full control of KFOR. The behaviour of the population [is] still calm, no incident no trouble. Earlier during the day, at Zupce barricade, eight soldiers [suffered] minor injuries. I cannot tell you how they were injured, since we are on an ongoing activity and will give out additional information.” “We call on the population to stay calm and respect the rule of law. KFOR is still acting in full compliance with its mandate, to ensure freedom of movement for all the people of Kosovo,” KFOR spokesperson Frank Martin told Balkan Insight. Fatmir Aliu

“Most injuries were caused by the pepper spray and another woman was injured when soldiers pushed her. She knocked her head against a vehicle,” he said.

He added that one woman had been more seriously injured after a can was sprayed close to her mouth and she accidentally swallowed the vapour. The woman was later taken to a hospital and given oxygen.

When Balkan Insight visited the scene at Jagnjenica this afternoon, the situation was tense but stable.

About 150 Serbs, mainly men, were congregating in casual groups in proximity to the road barricade. Some women were present.

Half a dozen KFOR soldiers were visible, standing ontop of armoured tanks carrying riot shields and cans of pepper spray. The soldiers declined to talk to Balkan Insight about their operations.

A few feet away from the barricade, which comprised two large trucks loaded with tree trunks, a woman whose face was covered in a translucent liquid sat hunched over wiping her eyes.

Kosovo Prime Minister Reaction Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has condemned what he described as an assault on KFOR’s soldiers and called upon Serbs at barricades to refrain from violence. “We denounce the violence towards the KFOR peacekeeping forces, lead by the parallel criminal structures in the north. The escalation of violence is in no one’s interest,” Hashim Thaci stated in a government press release. Fatmir Aliu

Describing herself as Ana, she said she had been sprayed with pepper spray and the liquid on her face was an ointment used to relieve the pain.

The 27-year-old mother of three said she had no intention of leaving. “I will stay here all night if needed,” she said. “I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried for my own children.”

Squinting against the sun on a grassy hill leading down to the barricade, two young men talked together. One of them, a 23-year-old student called Drago, said he had arrived at the barricade at 10.30am, after sitting an exam at his faculty.

He had driven 15km from his home town of Zvecan to be present, he said. “This is my first time coming here to support these people. This is one of the barricades that we built and I think this is the weak point of our barricade and it is easier for KFOR to remove.

View from the other side of the Jagnjenica barricade On the other side of the Jagnjenica barricade KFOR has built a safety zone and two improvised camps. The safety zone is not accessible to civilians or the press and the first camp is situated on the barricade. Around ten armoured vehicles, bearing German and Austrian flags, are stationed there. These soldiers are all geared-up for riot-control. A tent has been erected 15 meters away from the barricade. Next to it is an improvised toilet and a power generator. While Balkan Insight was there, a bulldozer was enlarging the mountain road, allowing vehicles to park. The second military camp is based 300 meters from the barricades, inside the Cabra village. About 20-to 30 vehicles, including armoured ones and transportation trucks, stand parked. Austrian soldiers could be seen resting inside two large tents. Fatmir Aliu

“We are not here to fight with them [KFOR], just to show them that we don’t agree with them sending Albanian customs officers here. If it is necessary, we will stay here for a month,” he added.

“We had great relationship with KFOR before this. I don’t know what happened to them. We don’t want violence. But now everything has changed,” he continued.

About 50 metres from the blockade, close to a couple of ambulance vehicles, Stevan, 57, looked surprisingly awake for someone who had been at the barricade since 1am.

“At that time the situation was peaceful but then people noticed that KFOR were preparing something,” he told Balkan Insight. “After a few moments they saw that they [KFOR] were preparing to attack the Serbian people who were protesting at the barricade,” he added.

Some media reported that protesters elsewhere in northern Kosovo threw stones at NATO forces as they attempted to remove the barricades. But Stevan said there had been no stone-throwing at Jagnjenica. “Serbian people did not use violence,” he said.

Tension has escalated in northern Kosovo over the past two months following a decision by Kosovo’s Albanian-led government to deploy customs officers on the Kosovo-Serbia border crossings.

Serbs in the north of Kosovo have rejected Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence and resent any attempt by the government in Pristina to assert its presence there.

NATO peaceeepers set a Tuesday deadline to remove the barricades and restore freedom of movement.