"In the main road that you came through, it was the place where my officer was killed, shot and killed. Banjska resident Radoslav Markovic, a grey-haired Serb, told Reuters that while the fighting was under way, residents had taken it "seriously, as a state of war". Serbia, which has not recognised its former province's independence, blames Kosovo for precipitating violence by mistreating ethnic Serb residents. Serbia and the main Serb political group in Kosovo have proclaimed public mourning for the Serbs killed in the battle. Heavily armed Kosovo police carrying rifles manned positions alongside armoured vehicles.

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Persons: Elshani, Banjska, Radoslav Markovic, Albin Kurti, Aleksandar, Vucic, Branko Filipovic, Fatos, Ivana Sekularac, Peter Graff Organizations: Reuters, NATO, Kosovo, Thomson Locations: BANJSKA, Kosovo, Banjska, Serbian, Serbia, Pristina, Belgrade, Raska