KFOR troops this morning removed the barricades near the town of Zvečan in northern Kosovo, including the concrete barricade in the village of Dudin Krš.

Their operation caused clashes with local Serbs, leaving four people wounded, while a number of others were detained.

The situation was calm around 13:00 CET on Friday, but local Serbs in the meantime started hauling in large amounts of gravel to create another barricade, in front of the NATO soldiers at Rudare - on the Leposavić-Kosovska Mitrovica road.

This new barricade has rendered KFOR troops blocked, with an excavator located behind them, that reports said "is expected to be used during the day to remove the gravel".

Local municipal leaders in northern Kosovo - where Serbs are the majority that does not recognize the authority of the Kosovo Albanian government in Priština - met on Friday to consider the situation. Kosovska Mitrovica Mayor Krstimir Pantić announced after the meeting that it was decided to once again prevent free movement of KFOR and all other international missions.

"International missions have started their showdown with Serbs, and in order to protect ourselves, we must defend ourselves with barricades. Kosovska Mitrovica residents have been completely blocked by KFOR's operation that severed all communication with central Serbia. For as long as that persists, the citizens will not allow KFOR and EULEX to move freely. We expect the same decision to be made by three other municipalities (in northern Kosovo)," said Pantić.

Beta news agency reported earlier that three injured men were admitted to the Kosovska Mitrovica hospital. One of them was discharged after he had received the medical help.

KFOR Spokesman Uwe Nowitzki told Tanjug that one of their soldiers was wounded during today's operation of removing the barricade near Rudare.

“The soldier was evacuated and his condition is stable,” Nowitzki said.

“KFOR strongly condemns this act of violence. KFOR's actions are always carried out with as less use of force as possible, but it is clear that KFOR will respond in self-defense in accordance with the situation,” he pointed out.

“We will not let the situation to further escalate and we will use adequate force if needed,” the KFOR spokesman concluded.

The citizens announced earlier on Friday that they would prevent KFOR from removing the barricades.