Kfor: No evidence of weapons smuggling to Serbian churches in Kosovo

PRISTINA - The Kfor mission said on Wednesday there was no evidence of alleged weapons smuggling to Serbian Orthodox churches in Kosovo-Metohija in ambulances via administrative crossings in the province.

Previously, British MP Alicia Kearns accused the Serbian Orthodox Church of involvement in weapons smuggling from central Serbia to Kosovo-Metohija.

In a statement, Kfor said "the event mentioned by the British MP refers to the year 2022, when the Royal Fusilier Battalion was engaged in the north of Kosovo in support of the KFOR mission."

"The alleged presence of illegal weapons has been reported to the KFOR Headquarters, but after further investigations to find confirmation of this, no evidence has emerged for what was reported. There is no evidence regarding the alleged smuggling carried out through the administrative border line between Kosovo and Serbia to Orthodox churches by ambulances," Kfor said.

In a reaction to Kearns's claims, the Eparchy of Ras and Prizren of the Serbian Orthodox Church warned of very serious accusations that were criminalising the Serbian Orthodox Church and were already being used by some media outlets in Pristina to spread religious and ethnic hatred, which it said directly jeopardised Serbian priests, monks and religious sites.