NATO Fire Teargas in Mitrovica, Serb Church on Fire

Ethnic Albanians set a Serbian Orthodox church on fire in the flashpoint town of Mitrovica on Thursday, despite NATO troops firing teargas and rubber bullets at the crowd, a Reuters reporter said.

French peacekeepers tried to prevent protesters from approaching the church in the southern side of the ethnically divided city, but people still managed to break into the building, he said. Gunshots were also heard, but it was not immediately clear where they came from.

Widespread clashes in the U.N.-run province on Wednesday killed at least 22 people and injured hundreds, with Serbs and Albanians trading gunfire in Mitrovica.

A Serb church was also set on fire in another Kosovo town on Thursday, in Obilic near the provincial capital Pristina.